The Saga Of Twelve
by Wendigo
Summary: Just when Sakura thought that all the cards had been caught and it was okay to be a normal teenager, she unknowingly sets eleven free using The Libra, creating the astrological twelve. Now she has new possibilities: a mother, a love, and new evils. SS ET
1. Loneliness Is Worse

Author's note: Hey, will I decided to do another story after all the reviews I got for "Nothing Stays The Same", my first CCS 

Author's note: Hey, will I decided to do another story after all the reviews I got for "Nothing Stays The Same", my first CCS fanfiction. Thanks to all of you that reviewed for me, this story could not be possible without your support (This one's for you!) As always the story is my idea that came out of my head but the characters, sadly are not. Sakura, Li, Kero…etc. etc. belong to CLAMP. Don't sue me, I have no dinero. Muy broke-o. : ) (I know that Spanish is all wrong! Haha!) Anyways, enjoy and as always review!

Note 2: Sakura and Li are seventeen now, ending their Junior year in high school. The whole ordeal with the hope card did happen but he didn't tell her his feelings afterward. He went back to Hong Kong and just returned like…three years ago. This is my story so I can bend reality, okay? I don't follow the rules! I'm a rebel! *laughs at own joke but then stops when noticing no one else thinks it's funny*

Chapter One- Loneliness Is Worse

A girl of seventeen ran out the door in a frenzy on her rollarblades, trying to race time. That would be a problem since she was already late and school would be starting in another five minutes. It would take a miracle to make it to her first class on time, but she didn't rely on her wishes or pleadings with God to allow her to be on time. How could she? Reaching into her knapsack quickly, she looked around as she pulled out a hard paper object with her index and middle finger. Today, she thought, time would be on her side.

Sakura quickly looked around for anybody since nobody could see what she was about to do as she grabbed around her neck for her key. I wonder where everyone is, she thought. Oh yeah, they're at school. She turned into an alley way in case someone spotted the bright light or the seal that would shortly make its appearance.

"Key of the Star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff, and shine your light! Release!" The seal brightened beneath her as she grabbed her long pink staff that had only begun to grow longer with her height. She was nearly a foot and a half taller than her previous self five years ago.

She held out a card in front of her and then let it slide from her grasp as she raised her staff, "Time Card! Release and Dispel! Time!" An old man emerged from the card and waved his staff, signaling time to stand still. She smiled at the old man and thanked him for his help before flying on her rollarblades to her high school. She couldn't believe that in a few weeks, her junior year as a high school student would end.

As she glided down the streets frozen in time just for her, she thought back to the past few years. Her mind always seemed to flow back to the past; it was becoming a daily routine in her life now. How she missed how it was like when Li and even Meilin were around. Sakura's life seemed less exciting when she didn't have any cards to capture, even though she used them frequently to make them feel like they were still important to her, which they were.

She smiled as she thought of Li. He had returned from Hong Kong about three years ago, midway through her freshmen year. Sakura could still remember how cold he had been to her, or tried to be distant but he couldn't. She remembered vividly the night where he confessed his innermost fears to her.

It was raining and he had volunteered (well pretty much was forced) to tutor her in Mathematics. Like always, she was horrible at it but tried her very best and was getting better with each lesson and soon would not even need his help anymore. She remembered the one lesson on that rainy day a few months ago when he tried to teach her some trigonometry. 

Sakura remembered when she couldn't grasp the concept. It was just not clicking. She couldn't help but to cry in frustration when he had all but given up on her, like she had given up so many times before. But most vividly she remembered when he hugged her and apologized… "I'm sorry, Sakura. But don't give up, okay? Where would be now if you had given up every time you didn't succeed when you didn't capture a card or when I…when I shot you down. Sakura, you are…really strong. I'm afraid that you'll lose that. Don't…it keeps me strong." They didn't work on math for the rest of the night; instead they talked about everything in their personal lives…well, until Sakura's brother kicked him out at midnight.

Ever since then, they had been closer. Now best friends, he had gradually become more comfortable around her. At times he was still a little distant, but she eventually got what was bothering him out. He smiled and laughed more. But Sakura, on the other hand, was doing less of that as of late. She felt as if the world was collapsing around her. Tori had moved out less than a month ago to complete college and her father had been in Europe for the past month on another archaeological adventure. Even though she had Li and Madison, her closest friends, Sakura couldn't help but to feel lonely. Her house was too sad. Everything had changed.

As she entered the school, she rollarbladed down the hallway, laughing. Sakura could never imagine another possible time where she could do this, so she did it freely. Approaching her locker, she took off her rollarblades and put on her shoes. She hummed a sad love song to herself as she opened her locker and looked in her mirror and straightened out her jacket and tie. She was in Tori's old school now and her uniform had drastically changed since elementary and junior high school.

She looked in the mirror one more time quickly as she was about to leave, but then stopped and stared straight at herself. Her hair was longer now, like her mother's and everyone always complimented her on her looks but that didn't help. She was too sad. And it wasn't just because of her absent father or because Tori was gone. Something wasn't right. She couldn't pinpoint it, and this led to more frustration and anxiety.

Sakura looked at her setting and noticed that everyone was in their classes already in the frozen time period and she chanted some words to herself as her staff shrunk to the key around her neck and the time disappeared back into the card and the world was alive once more. She turned to the classroom door and took a deep breath before stepping into her first class. Try to be happy today, she told herself. 

"Good morning, Sakura!"

"Hello, Rita."

"Hey, Sakura, I finished that novel I told you about. You have to hear what happened at the end."

"Okay, Nikki. Maybe later."

"Sakura! I heard we're trying new stunts at cheerleading today. Shouldn't be hard for you, though. You always get everything fairly quickly."

"I guess so, Chelsea."

Sakura did her normal hellos to all her friends. She would always answer in a few words or less, never wanting to further venture in conversation. For some reason she only felt comfortable talking to Madison and Li. Was it because of her brother moving out? Yes, he was a jerk sometimes but she loved him more than most things. And her dear father was gone and sent postcards but that wasn't enough. She missed him and he wouldn't be back for another three months.

She sat down in her seat and decided she just had to be more cheerful today, even if it killed her. I just want to be happy without forcing myself to be though, she thought. Oh, well, just put on a happy face.

"Good morning, Madison!"She said, trying to act cheery. Madison smiled at her which made Sakura smile too, knowing that Madison didn't see through her acting.

"Good morning, Sakura. Someone's early today. How did you ever manage that?"Madison smiled some more and Sakura actually felt much happier. Maybe today would cure her, she thought.

"Well let's just say that time was on my side,"she smiled, knowing her little secret. Madison at first was puzzled but then started to smile as well, understanding Sakura's clue.

"Ya know Sakura,"someone started from behind her. She turned to face him. "You shouldn't use your cards like that."

"Good morning, Li!"Sakura layed her hands down on Li's desk and smiled at him. She couldn't stand it if Li was in a bad mood today. She needed him to make her happy which he had been trying to do for the last week. Sakura felt that Li knew something was wrong. "I like to give the cards some exercise. They still mean a lot to me after all these years. I know they enjoy it and besides I wasn't late to school today."

"Was anyone around when you used them?"He asked, looking a little worried. After all this time he still worried about her. How could he not?

"Of course not, Li! I thought you knew me better than that!"Sakura laughed. Madison joined in.

"Li, Sakura can manage the cards perfectly well. You of all people should know that!"

He smiled and started laughing as well. "Yeah, of course."His face turned serious as he continued, "Just be safe, okay? I don't want you to overexert yourself. You can still become weak by using the cards, ya know."

She smiled at his concern and put her hand over his, which made him blush slightly, "I'll be careful. I promise." He looked at her shyly and patted her hand once before removing his hand from her grasp. Li didn't want to blush any longer than he had to.

Sakura paused, thinking of how to word what she wanted to ask Li next. She was just so scared of rejection. Not wanting to handle that but not wanting to be alone tonight she just decided to spit it out. "Hey, Li?"

"Yeah?" He said, looking at her. With those eyes. Damn it all to hell, she thought. It's hard enough to ask him but now he has to look at me like that. 

"What are you doing after school?" She looked straight into his eyes and it was then that she figured that he knew about her sadness. His eyes seemed softer than usual and full of worry. She looked away, trying to avoid it.

"I have soccer practice, why?"He asked gently. Yeah, he knew. It was obvious to him. Her smile was not filled with the happiness he was used to feeling.

"Well, after that, do you want to go dress shopping with me?"

Li wasn't ready for that question. He thought she would ask him to come over for help on homework or to watch a movie together but not to go dress shopping. He smiled at the thought of spending time with her. He was after all, still in love with her, ever since the fourth grade. He couldn't deny it, especially since he came back to live in Japan last year. At first, he tried to distance himself from her by dating other girls, but it didn't work. He just loved her too much. So slowly, he stopped dating as much and opened himself up to her. She always accepted so he fell in love with her even more. There was nothing to stop this feeling from growing inside and she just continued to let it grow more.

"So, what do you need a dress for, Sakura?"  
She finally looked at him and tried not to let him know that she was nervous about asking him. Sakura now really wanted to tell him that she had been lonely. She wanted to be held by him and tell him how much he meant to her. She knew that would never happen because he was Li but she wanted to be with him tonight. "It's not for me. It's for my cousin. I was supposed to go with my dad but…"Her father. She felt her vision become a little blurry at the thought of her dad. Sakura could feel Li's gaze penetrate her mind for answers but she was unwilling to give them now. "Anyways, it's her birthday and since Madison has her audition today, I was hoping that you would…um…"

"Go with you?"He finished.

"Uh, yeah,"Sakura said, blushing.

He paused for a moment, letting his happiness sink in that she had asked him to hang out with her and ask for his opinion. He waited for the smile to appear on his lips before he answered. "Sure, I'll go."

Sakura looked up at him and smiled too, "Really?"

"Yeah. I'd love to help."

"Oh, Li!"She wanted to jump out of her seat to give him a hug, but she didn't as she realized that most of the class was watching her, even the teacher. She slowly turned around, her cheeks red as she finished whispering to him. "I'll pick you up at six, okay?"

Now that no one could see him, he rested his chin on his hand and smiled, still red. "Sounds good, Sakura." He loved her name. It was so beautiful.

"Okay, great,"she whispered back as the teacher began teaching the days lesson.


	2. Helping Pain

Author's note: Hey, will I decided to do another story after all the reviews I got for "Nothing Stays The Same", my first CCS 

Chapter Two- Helping Pain

Sakura yawned as she stood in the back row, not even paying attention to the volleyball game going on in front of her. It was the last class of the day; P.E. and she just simply did not have the energy to be happy anymore since lunch had taken most of it away, trying to fool her friends. Li started to hint around at her unhappiness but she just said that she'd talk about it later and even when Madison asked her what was wrong she just said it was nothing, PMS or something. Why didn't she want to tell Madison? What was attracting her to tell Li? Did she still love him?

"Watch out!" Sakura looked up and saw the volleyball over her head, coming right towards her. She froze, unable to do anything then closed her eyes. WHAM! She slowly peeked from the darkness that her eyelids had yielded and saw Rita standing right next to her. "Are you okay, Sakura? It's very unlike you to miss a shot."

"Fine. I'm fine, Rita. I guess I'm just a little tired,"she smiled and lied, trying to avoid a conversation about it.

Rita put her hands on her hips and looked at Sakura as if she didn't tell the truth, which was the case. Sakura looked down at the ground nervously before she opened her mouth, there was no way she was getting out of this one, but she sighed as the bell ring. "I'm sorry, Rita. But I have to go return a book to the library before cheerleading…so, bye!"

"Wait, Sakura!" Rita called after her but sighed as she saw her friend not stopping to answer her. "Something's wrong,"she told Chelsea as she approached her. "I think Sakura is depressed. She never acts like this. Never." Chelsea nodded her head agreeing as they both watched Sakura run out of sight and then turned to head towards the girl's locker room.

Sakura ran off to "go return a book" which was another lie. She hated lying to her friends but she didn't want to answer their questions. She wanted to forget about their questions and just go to cheerleading, be happy and then go out with Li. That's it. How hard could that be to manage?

"Sakura?" Very hard.

"Oh! Hey, Nikki." She smiled at her friend and put her hands behind her back, trying to seem happy and normal.

"Are you okay, Sakura?"

"What? Oh, yeah…um, I'm fine, Nikki."

Nikki slowly approached her friend, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure?" Sakura nodded, still smiling. "Well, it's just that everyone's getting a little concerned for you. You're not…you, anymore. We just want to help…"

"Nikki, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. But I have to go now to practice, so I'll see you on Monday!"

Sakura started to walk off but Nikki grabbed her hand. Not anymore questions, please, she thought to herself. "Not Monday, Sakura. Next month!" Sakura gave her a look of confusion. "Don't tell me you forgot about our vacation, Sakura?"  
"Vacation?"She then remembered, Spring Vacation. "Oh, right! Two weeks in the Spring. How could I forget?"

"If you're sure your okay…"

"Yeah, Nikki. I'm okay. I'll see you after vacation!" Sakura ran away towards the courtyard where she had lunch. She just needed a few minutes by herself before she headed towards the girl's locker room to change for cheerleading. But she never made it. A spell of dizziness overcame her and she sat down at the nearest bench with her head in her hands, between her knees. She felt like she was going to throw up. Sakura didn't feel sad anymore, just really really sick.

She closed her eyes and felt a pain in her stomach that was too much to bear and she started crying. Just a few tears, no sounds or wrenching sobs. "Sakura?" She tried to look up at the sound of her name but she couldn't. "Sakura?" She could see a field of purplish hair just in the corner of her eye and then she saw the face of her best friend. "Sakura, are you alright?" Madison was kneeling below her, looking into her eyes, concern knit on her face.

Sakura didn't feel like lying anymore. She just didn't have it in her. "Uh…no. I don't think I'm okay at all,"she finally admitted.

"Is this a physical pain?"Madison asked. "Or an emotional one?"

"Both. I feel sick, like I might faint. Oh, Madison. I'm sorry I never said anything before I just…"

Madison shook her head and then interrupted her, "It's okay, Sakura. I forgive you." She took her hand and placed it on Sakura's forehead. "No fever. But you look pale and…are those tears? You're not your usual self, huh?"

Sakura started to let the tears come more willingly as she finally let the weight be lifted from her chest. "Madison, I feel lonely without my family. The house is so empty, now. My…I have such a headache and it's making me dizzy. This pain…it won't go away."

"Are you having girl problems as well?"

"Yeah. Everything is happening at the wrong time, Madison. I don't know what to do."  
Madison sat next to her friend and held her close. "It's okay, Sakura. This is what I'm going to do to make you better, okay? I'm going to bring you home right now." She stood up and held her hand out to her friend and in a very Thelma and Louise voice she said, "C'mon, let's blow this joint."

Sakura looked up, clutching her stomach, "No, Madison. You have that audition today."

Madison shook her head, still holding her hand out to her friend, waiting for Sakura to take it. "It's not that important."

"Madison, I know how much you want that solo. Please, go find someone else. You have to be there today,"Sakura looked at her friend, the tears still running down her cheeks. "Please,"she begged.

"Okay, Sakura. If that's what you want,"Madison lowered her hand she had offered her friend and thought about who had a car that could bring her home. "What about Chelsea or Nikki?"

"Cheerleading. I don't want to bother them. They don't need to know about this."Sakura groaned as she layed down on the bench.

Madison went over to her and lifted her feet up for her and pushed the hair out of her eyes. "What about Zach! Wait, he has computer club today." Sakura felt a wave of pain envelope her stomach and she curled up to the point of pain, moaning. "Sakura! Are you okay?!"

"Li,"she muttered through her pain.

"Sakura?"

"Li. Ask Li,"Sakura could feel the tears stream down her face as the pain subsided and she felt like all the energy had escaped her.

"Is he at the soccer field?"

"Yeah, I think so,"Sakura mumbled through another wave of pain. "Hurry…please."

"Okay, I'll be right back,"Madison said, standing up and running towards the soccer field.

Down, at the soccer field, Li was leading the stretch with his team. Yes, he was the captain of the varsity soccer team and was the best player. "Okay, guys now switch legs,"he commanded as he showed them.

"Li! Li!"

He turned to his left and saw Madison running towards him. He got up and ran to her, meeting her halfway. "Madison, what is it?"

Madison tried to catch her breath as she explained, "It's…It's Sakura."

As the name registered in his head, he instantly became concerned for her. "What's wrong, Madison? Is she okay?!"

She grabbed his hand, forcing him to walk with her towards Sakura. "She's not feeling well, Li. You have to bring her home. You're the only one with a car." He didn't say anything at first. Sakura was in pain; he should have said something to her before. He noticed that she was different and he knew that she was sad. Not just a once in a while sad either."Li, she asked for you."

"Yeah, I'll bring her home. Of course." Li turned back to his team still stretching and staring at him. He pointed to one of them, "A.J., take over."

"Okay, Li."

Madison and Li started running up the stands and towards the bench where she had left Sakura, about ready to faint from pain and heartache.

Back at the bench, Sakura was trying her hardest not to cry anymore. She tried to be strong because she was. She had to be. Upon trying to get up, she just fell back to the bench again, feeling the cold steel against her body.

"Sakura!"She heard her name being called and slowly looked up to see Li and Madison running towards her side. "Sakura!"He called out again. "What's wrong?" When she didn't answer, just moaned, he looked to Madison.

"I don't know. She's been complaining of dizziness and I think she feels lonely and maybe even depressed. I don't know. Well there is some other stuff."

"What other stuff?" When Madison tried to think of a way to answer him, that wasn't fast enough. "Madison!"

"Li, girl stuff,"and at those words he felt sorry for Sakura and also a little sick himself. "Let's jut leave it at that."

Li turned to Sakura and kneeled down to her, rubbing her back to try to comfort her. "She looks worn out,"he said, looking at her body, which was shaking, from pain and from tears. "It's okay, Madison. I'll take care of her." Li picked her up in his arms and started walking towards his car in the parking lot, leaving Madison behind. "Go to your audition, Madison. I'll make sure she calls you tomorrow morning." He didn't look behind him as Madison walked away and he went to his car.

"Li, it's okay now. I think I can try to walk."

"No, Sakura."Li tried to reason with her as she kept pleading that she was alright. They both knew that she wasn't, though. Why is Sakura being so difficult? Li kept his thoughts to himself though, not wanting to upset her even more than she already was. 

Li opened his door with one of his hands holding Sakura and slowly, gently laid her in the passenger seat of his car. Then changing his course of action, he slammed the car door shut and ran to the driver's side of the car, hopping in and fumbling with the keys. "Sakura, are you going to be okay until we get to your house?"

"Yeah…I…think so,"she spit out between sharp intakes of breath due to the pain. She didn't know how much more she could take before she just passed out.

Li saw how much pain she was in and lowered the seat for her so that she could lie down and curl up if need be. "Don't worry. We'll be there soon,"he stated, finally starting his car and pulling out of the school's parking lot.

"Wait, Li,"she tried to sit up but he placed his hand on her shoulder and eased her back down. "We were supposed to get the dress today,"she said sadly.

"Don't be silly. You're not feeling well."

She sighed with pain and sadness as she tried to turn her body towards him, feeling the need to be close to someone, him. Unsure of what he was doing but at the same time confident of his feelings, he reached out to her and took her hand in his. "Don't give up all hope yet, Sakura. It all depends on how you're feeling, okay?"

She squeezed his hand out of pain and also out of the need for him. "Okay, Li,"was all she could say as she shut her eyes, trying to visualize on something else instead of her pain. "If this is what labor feels like I'm never having any kids."

He laughed at her little joke as he turned into her driveway, "Well, I hope not for your sake. We're still young, don't worry about having babies yet." He put the car in park and pulled the emergency brake up and then realized the mistake he just made. The words replayed through his mind: We're still young…oh shit, he thought. That came out the wrong way. Now she's going to think I want to have kids with her. Well, it's not that I don't it's just…Shut up, Li!

Shaking his head, he went to Sakura and picked her up in his arms and brought her to the front door, trying to open it. It, however, was locked. "Do you have a key?"

"Yeah, but it's in my bag,"she said, trying to be comfortable in his arms which was impossible as she wasn't as curled up as she was in the car. The pain was almost unbearable and passing out didn't sound like such a bad option right now.

"Well, where's your bag?"

"I left it at the school,"she said as she felt another wave of pain. Sakura felt like taking out her uterus and using it as a punching bag. Screw having kids.

"Okay. Um…is there an extra key?"Li said, placing her on the front stoop slowly and then kneeling in front of her, placing an unsure hand on her shoulder as she drew her knees to her chest.

"No. Tori took it with him when he moved out,"she said, looking up at him. Her eyes were red from crying.

"I guess I'll have to break in, then."

"But Li…"

"It looks like your window is open,"he said standing up and surveying the situation.

"Hey Li…"

"Of course it's on the second floor, though."

"Listen to me, Li!"She yelled. Sakura could not stand the feeling of being ignored and Li was doing a great job at doing so.

He turned to her, "Sakura, you're not using one of your cards. You are sick." Li walked over to her and knelt down to her level. "I'm gonna try to go through your window. Stay here."

"But, Li!" She called after him but it was too late. He had already hoisted himself onto the overhang and was trying to reach her window. "I'm sick, not useless,"she muttered as she took one of her cards, determined to get inside if only to get some medication.

Li was still trying to climb to her window, but was having a hard time doing so. As he finally jumped to her ledge and used his powerful arm strength to pull himself up, he heard the window open and someone putting their hands on his. "Sakura, I thought…"

"Don't worry, Li,"she said as he lifted himself into her room. "I'm…"Sakura could see the room turn around her as she started to fall back, like someone tripped her. Li rushed over to her quickly and catched her by placing his hand under her back. "Fine…Li. I'm fine."

"Now you've exhausted yourself,"he scolded and then sighed. "Idiot,"he said in a soft, loving way as he put his other arm on her back.

"Yeah, I shouldn't have used my cards. You were right,"she said, smiling in return.

"C'mon, silly girl,"he said, lifting her in one swift move. "Let's get you to bed, okay?"

"Drugs."

"What?"He said, stopping a few feet away from her bed as she looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I need some medicine or I'm going to die, Li."

He moved towards her bed, lying her down on it, "Where, Sakura?"

She closed her eyes in pain and in trying to remember where she put them. "The bathroom downstairs…the third drawer down…on the left."

He nodded and then started to leave, but turned back, "Are you hungry?"

"Well…a little."

"I'll go make you some soup, okay?"He asked, trying to talk softly to comfort her of any pain she was having. "Well, if you'll let me use your kitchen."

"Of, course,"Sakura replied, trying to match his soothing tone as he left the room, starting to close the door but he suddenly stopped.

Why didn't Li shut the door? Sakura wondered but she waited a mere second before receiving her answer.

"What are you doing here?!"She heard a certain little guardian beast yell…well more like scream, at Li.

"Get lost you stuffed animal! I'm taking care of Sakura!"

"Why?! What did you do to her?! If I find out that you hurt her then…" There was a small silence, which Sakura just assumed was a pause for a glaring contest of some sort. A few minutes later, she heard some footsteps leave the area of her room and down her stairs as her guardian flew in.

"Kero!"

He shut the door behind him and flew to her, sitting on her lap. "What's wrong, Sakura? Not feeling well?"

She tried to smile through her pain, "Yeah, something like that." Kero's face turned from concerned to well…more concerned. He didn't like to see his mistress in pain. Especially something he didn't understand. "I wish I had a card for this."

"You do, Sakura." Kero flew over to her desk which she kept her Sakura Book in and used his powers to open the drawer. Summoning the cards, they flew around him and he scanned their names. Finding what he was looking for, he sent the rest of the cards back into the book and took the last remaining card back to Sakura.

"The Libra?"She asked, taking the card from Kero. "I didn't know The Libra was a healing card, Kero."

"It's not,"he said, flying closer to her. "Well, that's not its original purpose. The Libra can create a balance in your body…which I can feel is totally out of whack right now."

Sakura shot him a glare but then her face softened, as she knew he was right. Nothing was making sense in her body right now. Maybe she needed a little balance. "Okay, Kero."

She smiled at him softly, thanking him in her mind. "Well, I'm sorry, Sakura but I have to go,"he said, flying towards the window. "I'm staying at Madison's tonight."

"What for, Kero?"She asked, a little disappointed. That feeling washed away though as she realized sooner or later Kero would find out how sad she had been lately. She didn't want him worrying about her either. It was for the best.

Kero smiled with delight as he explained, "Madison got the new Final Fantasy game and we're going to stay up all night playing. It's a nice thing that she loves video games. I think you should take after her,"he quickly added but then flew over to her and gave her a hug before he left. "But don't worry, Sakura. Nothing compares to you." He released her and flew out the window yelling, "Bye Sakura! I'll be back in the morning! If Li hurts you, give me a call. Bye!"

"Kero!" She tried to yell but he was already too far away. She sighed to herself as she looked to the card in her hand. As another wave of pain came over her body, she couldn't take it anymore and reached into her shirt, bringing out the key in her hand.

Trying to channel her energy, or what she had left of it, Sakura closed her eyes and opened her hand, letting the key float over her open palm. She breathed in deeply, finally giving way to allow her eyes to open as she prepared herself to say the incantation that would never escape her mind.

But her attention was turned to the door, which opened. Li stepped in and saw the light that radiated from her hand. "Sakura! Don't!"


	3. The Sisters

Author's note: Hey, will I decided to do another story after all the reviews I got for "Nothing Stays The Same", my first CCS 

Chapter Three- The Sisters

"Sakura! You can't!"He said running to her side. "I can't let you go through with this!"He yelled in anger.

Sakura's eyes started to become watery as he raised his voice. "And why can't I?!" She yelled back. "Why can't I, Li?!"

"Because you're weak enough as it is, Sakura! Don't you realize…"

"Yes! Of course I realize that I can't exhaust myself Li! But you don't understand!"The tears started flowing from her eyes and glistened from the light around her hand. "The medication won't work! It's not strong enough!" She turned away from him and concentrated on the key in front of her. "

"Sakura!"He yelled again as he grabbed her hand, but she instantly released it.

"No, Li! This pain won't go away!"The tears continued to run down her cheeks and fell to the sheets on her bed. "I don't know what else to do!"

"Sakura,"Li softly said, slowly sitting next to her and lifting his hand to caress her back. "You're not talking about your physical pain anymore, are you?" She gasped softly and looked to him. "Sakura, I'll assist you in releasing The Libra to help you stop the pain here,"he said, placing a hand on her stomach. "But I will not tolerate you trying to overcome your sadness by yourself. I refuse, Sakura."

That was when she decided that she could tell him about her sadness. Tell him everything. And she wanted to, for reasons unknown to her. Sakura reached to his arm and withdrew his arm from her back and slowly dragged her hand from his bicep to his hand, holding it. "Okay,"she smiled. "I'll let you help me."

He nodded his head in response, lending her some of his power. "Sources of light with ancient spin send forth the magic power within. Oracles of gold, wind, water and electricity, force, know my plight release the light!"

As Sakura felt his power merge with hers, she felt a wave of calmness come over her. She could feel his green aura surround her and the light inside of her glowed as her key started to ache for growth. She wouldn't deny it of what it needed. "Key of the star with powers burning bright, reveal the staff and shine your light. Release!"

The staff grew to its full length and she placed her hands on it, using Li's energy to help her. She stared at the card in front of her, floating in the air, waiting to be called upon. Why couldn't she find the energy to strike it? 

"I can't,"she muttered to herself and then looked to Li, saying it again. "I can't. I don't know why I just…"

She was interrupted as he moved behind her. Starting at her shoulders and moving slowly down her arms, he slid his hands to cover hers. "You can, Sakura."

Turning to try to look at him, she was inches away from his face. He continued to stare at the card in front of her, his gaze was intense. "Libra!"She commanded, returning to look at the card. "Release and dispel!" With Li's help she raised her staff and struck it with all her power. "Libra!"

Li was forced to move away from her as strands of pink ribbon-like streams enveloped Sakura, taking away her pain and balancing her body. She could feel a relaxing wind flow through herself. Li could feel it as well and watched as her aura shined but sadly it was still a dark pink.

After the whole ordeal was over and the staff had been transformed back to her key, Sakura stood up, feeling full of energy and even a little happier. He walked over to her with a questioning glance. "Are you alright?"

"Do you feel like going for a walk?"She asked, ignoring his question completely. He started to say her name in a serious tone, wanting to have his question answered. Afterall, he still was worried about her. "C'mon, Li. Take me for a walk."

He didn't turn her down and offered his arm to her like a gentlemen would as they left the house and ventured into the cool night air. The moon was full, and appeared larger than usual as they walked down the sidewalk. It was getting cooler now and tonight was no exception. They could see their breath as they exhaled white clouds into the night air.

"Not a cloud in sight,"Sakura commented as she looked up at the stars. Her spirit almost felt a little lifted; maybe The Libra restored more of her equilibrium than she thought. "We should go shopping for the dress tomorrow, don't you think so?"

Li stopped walking and because they were still arm in arm, she stopped as well. "Sakura,"he said, like it hurt. "I'm not going to pretend to ignore this any longer. I should have said something earlier, weeks ago when I first noticed that…that you weren't as happy anymore." He turned his body so that he was directly across from hers. "Sakura, if I did anything to hurt you…"

"Li!"She yelled, shaking her head. "You never did anything to me. You're my best friend…why would you even think that?"

He turned away from her and walked to the bench in King Penguin Park. Neither of them had even noticed that they had gone this far. Li sat down; resting his elbows on his knees and running his fingers through his hair, keeping them there. "Remember a month ago when you snuck into my apartment to surprise me on getting the position of Captain for soccer?" She nodded, approaching him slowly. "Then I guess you remember how I wasn't alone when I came home."

Sakura walked in front of him and looked down at her best friend, with his fingers still in his hair. "Selena."

His heart started to beat faster. Not at the sound of his ex-girlfriend's name, but at the possibility of being with someone else than Sakura. It was such a horrible thought. "I thought you hated me. And I thought that was the reason why you were so sad."

"Oh, Li,"she softly seemed to almost purr as she knelt in front of him. He took his hands down from his hair, as the brown locks fell around his face. "That wasn't the reason, Li. That could never be the reason. Because I love you,"she said, throwing herself into his arms. He was shocked, never thinking that she felt the same way that he did. His heart started beating faster as he pulled her tighter into his hold on her. "You're my best friend, Li." Oh, he thought. That's what she meant. She loves me as a best friend, not a boyfriend. How could I ever think she felt the same way? But he still smiled. At least she loved him.

"I love you too, Sakura." You just don't know how much, he added to himself. One day I'll tell you though. And when that day comes, I'll let you fly. When they finally let go, he held her hands, forcing her to sit down next to him. "Now, Sakura, will you please tell me why you have been so sad?"

She looked down at her feet, her hair surrounding her face. "I guess with the moving out of my brother and father gone I…I've gotten lonely. The house is just not the same anymore, Li. Nothing is."

He felt sorry for her. She should not feel this way, he thought. She should be happy and free to enjoy her life. She should…be with me. "That's not true, Sakura,"he said, tucking the hair behind her ear so that he could see her beautiful face, although wet from tears.

"It's not?"She asked, looking to him like a child would to an older brother or parent. Her eyes glistened in the moonlight and he smiled at her.

"Of course not. You're never alone. You have Madison and all your friends. And even though they're not with you, your father and even your overprotective brother will never stop loving you. And I,"he started, sliding over to sit next to her. "I will never leave you, Sakura."

"You won't?"She whispered. 

"Nope. Never."

A small smile appeared on her face as she bit her lower lip with excitement. "Even if someone payed you?"

He laughed as he played along with her little game. "How much?"He joked. She elbowed him in his gut and they both laughed some more. "No, Sakura. Not even for money."

"What if you die?"She asked, dropping her serious tone, her aura getting a little darker.

"I will never die on you, Sakura. We'll die together, okay? How about that?"He started to smile and she did as well, and her aura brightened. She's back to her old, wonderful self, he thought happily.

As she thought of what to say next, her smile faded but this time, her aura did not. "What if you fell in love?"She asked, unsure of why she asked it. "Would you leave me then?"

He looked at her, eyes a little wider than normal. Li wasn't ready for that question, that was the last thing he expected her to say and like Sakura, wasn't really sure of why she asked it. He was happy that she did though. "No, I wouldn't have to leave you." Because you're the one I love, he thought to himself.

"Why?"She asked, looking up at him with her green eyes. Those beautiful eyes that kept her happiness sheltered and harbored her tears.

As he opened his mouth to answer her, reaching out to her face with his hands, "Sakura, I…"He was cut short as he heard the sound of running water. "Is there a fountain in this park?"

"No, there isn't,"she said as they both turned to look at the King Penguin slide, which was no longer there, replaced by a lake.

It was more like a lake or river shore, with tall grass in the water, reeds and lily pads. The sound of frogs could be heard, along with crickets and the sight of the rippling water along with the reflection of the moon made this a beautiful spectacle to behold.

Their eyes both held the image of the water as their gaze shifted to the middle of the water, where there was a path made by the bordering reeds and tall grass. A woman with light blue robes was standing in the center with long blue hair. She rose from the water, her pale blue skin not even dripping as she stepped onto the water's surface, walking towards them.

As she reached the end, where the small waves were lapping against the sand, her hair flowing in the wind, she clasped her hands together, closing her eyes. And as she opened them slowly, columns of water appeared in her hands and started to rush towards the young warrior and his sorceress sitting on the bench, watching this happen.

"Li…"She started as he grabbed her hand and ran out of the path of the water coming towards them.

He summoned his sword and held it in one hand while he still held on tightly to Sakura in the other. "Sakura! Your cards!" He yelled, trying to think of a plan to get rid of…whatever this was.

"I don't have them with me!"She yelled back. How was she supposed to know this would happen? "Could this be another card?!"She asked. Maybe he would know, she thought. He did know a lot about Clow Reed. He could have made more cards without them knowing. Hell, it wouldn't have been the first time, she said, thinking about the ordeal with The Hope card._  
_"I don't know, Sakura! But, whatever this is, it's trying to kill us!" They continued to run, seemingly in circles until Li stopped, pulling Sakura behind him. She was in danger now that she didn't have her cards with her.

"Li! What are you doing?"She asked, clutching on to his chest from behind. Although he was aware of this, and turned red, this was not the time for that, he thought.

"We can't run forever, Sakura," he said, taking out one of his ofudas and holding it in front of him. "Force know my plight, release the light! Fire!" He yelled as he the paper folded near the hilt of his sword and streams of fire enveloped the water columns, turning them smoke. "Stay close to me. I have an idea."

Li started running towards the small pond that had formed in the hole that King Penguin was supposed to be and as he reached the water's edge, he took out another one of his ofudas and repeated the same strategy. "Fire!" He called out as it surrounded the pond, also catching fire to the grass and reeds in it.

The strange woman that was standing there, gasped in horror at the realization of what was happening. The pond disappeared, leaving a thick cloud of smoke as the water columns had done before. And as the smoke started to thin, the woman moved from her spot and emerged towards them. Li tried to hold back Sakura as she stepped towards the woman but he stepped away as she summoned her staff.

"Who are you?"Sakura asked, walking to the woman, standing a few feet in front of her. The woman shook her head from side to side and laughed with delight as she took Sakura's hand, smiling.

"Card Mistress,"she said in a small soothing voice. "I am the Water Bearer." When Sakura still didn't know what she was talking about the woman stepped forward, pulling her into a hug, "You already have my sister."

Li watched as a blue aura surrounded the woman and mixed with Sakura's. He wasn't alarmed because he knew that the Water Bearer's aura was strong yet good. Sakura closed her eyes, taking in the two words that the Water Bearer said to her repeatedly.

As the woman backed away, still smiling, she closed her eyes. Sakura took the staff in front of her, "Sakura Card, return to your power confined!" And as she raised it over her head, she struck the air in front of the girl, letting the air ripple as she started to return to her card form. "Aquarius Card!"

The blue aura was sucked in and the card, already transformed to a Sakura Card, fell into its mistress's hand. The woman was pictured on the front with a basket of water over her head, one hand holding it, the other holding someone else's hand.

Li walked to Sakura, looking down at the card in her hand, his sword already returned to the amulet around his neck. "The Aquarius? As in the astrological sign?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, "I don't know. Maybe. She did say that I knew her sister. Do you think she was talking about The Libra?"She asked, looking up to him.

"I don't know, Sakura. I have no clue about what's going on right now. But I bet I know someone who does,"he said, offering his arm to Sakura like he did at the beginning of their walk, leading her away.


	4. One Long Night

Chapter Four- One Long Night

Chapter Four- One Long Night

"Well, I suppose that asking that stupid stuffed animal is the only way to get some answers,"Li told Sakura as they continued their walk from King Penguin Park. Only fifteen minutes ago they were running from pillars of water, trying to stay alive. "Too bad that's the only option."

Sakura nudged him playfully, "Well, I could always call Eriol. Afterall, he is the reincarnation of Clow Reed. He would know." Li didn't like that idea any more than the first one but; he'd rather Sakura talked to Kero than to Eriol. Saying that Li was a little envious of Eriol would be a lie. Although saying that he was worried that Sakura would fall for the charming Englishmen would be more along the line of truth.

"We don't have to call Eriol. Not yet, anyways,"Li added. He didn't want to admit it, but there was a good chance Kero wouldn't know what was going on. Eriol probably would though, he did know about The Hope.

A silence ensued as Li took his hand out of his pocket, releasing Sakura of his grasp. They were nearing Madison's and he didn't want her to get all Madisonish and pull out a camera and film their every move. He loved Madison like a sister, but as always, sisters can be extremely annoying.

"Li, you never answered my question,"Sakura stated, wiping some dirt off the back of his black t-shirt.

"And what question was that?"He asked, wiping a few leaves off of her back as well. I hope she's not talking about the question she asked before. I told her I would never leave her if I fell in love with someone because that someone is her. She asked me why. Oh please, let this not be what she's talking about. So he tried the other question."Ahh…yes. The dress for your cousin."

"So, can we go tomorrow?"He sighed. Thank God, he thought.

They walked up to Madison's front gate and Sakura punched in the code to let them walk in. As the gates opened and a guard showed them to the front door, Li guided her by placing his hand at the small of her back. "I don't know, Sakura,"he said jokingly. "I think I'm busy tomorrow."

"Oh, shut up! You don't have anything to do! You know it and I know it!"She shouted at him back in the same joking tone he had managed to set. He gave her a look like she had hurt him or something.

"I could be busy."

"Yeah, you're busy,"she said as the door started to open. "Busy going dress shopping with me."

Madison stood at the door, delighted to see her best friend and the guy she loved next to her. She was happy to see Sakura feeling better and seeming to be in good spirits. I hope they didn't confess their love! Madison thought to herself as she saw the happy "couple" stand next to each other on her doorstep. "Sakura, you seem to be…happier!" She said, laughing with glee. "I guess I have to thank Li for that."

Sakura gave Madison a quick shut-your-trap glare before Li looked at her, confused. "Well, Madison,"Sakura said, nervously. Her face was red with embarrassment and for her unspoken feelings for a certain Chinese warrior at her side. "We need to speak to Kero. It's kinda an emergency." Madison's face grew serious when she saw Sakura's blush fade as she reached into her pocket and showed her best friend the only evidence left of what had happened earlier this evening.

"Is that…a Sakura Card?"Madison said, dragging her friends into her house so that she could get a better look at it in the light. "The Aquarius? But I thought you captured all the cards."She asked, looking from Li to Sakura for an answer. When they didn't reply to her, she looked back at the pink card in front of her. "This is…"

"Weird?"Li asked. "Yeah, we thought so as…"

"No! Disappointing!"The sorceress and the warrior face-faulted, anime style. "I can't believe you caught a new card without me to document it all on tape! And in that outfit!"Madison cried, sinking to the floor. Sakura tried to stifle a laugh as she walked to Madison's room with Li behind her, dragging a one Madison Taylor, extremely sad.

Sakura walked to the door, which had a strange blue light coming from under it. It was probably the result of a certain guardian beast playing video games for hours on end. Uncertain of what would lay ahead, she slowly opened the door. Of course, there was Kero, sitting on the floor, controller in hand, staring intently at the TV screen.

"Kero,"she said softly, trying not to disturb his game play. When he didn't respond she walked a little closer, "Kero." And when he still didn't budge she sat right next to him, "Keroberos!"

"WHAAAAAT?!?!"He screamed at her. "I heard you the first time, Sakura!"

"Then why did you ignore me?!"She asked, standing up, hands on her hips. Li and Madison were standing right behind her, looking at the little yellow guardian in question. "Kero! This is important!"

"Sakura, I'm really sorry I didn't answer you the first time but I am on this really big boss fight right now and I can't afford to…"He stopped mid-sentence as he watched Sakura walk behind the TV. and unplug the outlet to the Playstation. "OHMYGOD!"He screamed, flailing his arms and jumping up and down in a panicky state. "Sakura! I can't believe you just did that…"

Sakura took out the card and shoved it into his face. "Kero, this is a little more important,"she said, watching the surprised expression on her guardian. "Don't ya think?"

Kero took the card from Sakura and flew over to the light switch, turning it on, and then floated over Madison's bed, examining the card. "This is not good, Sakura. Not good,"he said in his more serious voice. He shook his head back and forth as the three friends walked over to him.

"What's wrong, Kero?"Sakura asked, sitting beside him on Madison's bed. She hesitated at the question but she had to know. She had never seen Kero so concerned about a card before, not even over the elemental cards or when Sakura faced Yue, Eriol or the Hope Card. Never.

"The Aquarius…I…I didn't think it would be possible,"Kero said, lowering the cards, a mournful expression on his face.

"Don't be vague,"Li said, sitting next to Sakura. "You look as if someone died."

"But that's just it. Someone did." Kero let go of the card and it floated back to its mistress.

"What do you mean by that?"Li asked, sliding next to Sakura and holding her hand. She seemed upset at what Kero had just said. Madison saw what was taking place and wanted to run downstairs to grab her camera, but now was not the right time, she thought.

Kero folded his arms and seemed to sit in the air as he spoke, "I don't know much, but when Clow died and floated to the stars, the constellations mourned his death and supposedly tried to revive him by turning themselves into cards and handing them their power. Of course it was just an old tale. But maybe…just maybe there was some truth into that,"Kero said, now talking to himself. "Well, whatever is going on this is only the beginning and I fear that…I have to awaken Yue."

Sakura felt saddened when he heard his name, yet happy at the same time. She missed Yue a lot but at the same time, Julian was happy living as one person. "I suppose you're right, Kero,"she said, letting go of Li's hand and standing up. "You should go awaken Yue. I'll…I need to call Eriol. I need more answers."

Madison stood by her friend, offering an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "Of course, Sakura. You need to know everything you can about this." Madison smiled as she released her friend to open the window for Kero. "While Kero awakens Yue, how about you and Li go call Eriol. And if I do recall correctly, Li has a whole stack of books written by Clow Reed himself. You might find something in there as well." Sakura nodded to Madison and hugged Kero before he flew out the window.

"What are you going to do Madison?"Sakura asked, joining Li's side before they left to his apartment to research and call Eriol in England.

Madison walked over to her closet and opened the doors, showing Sakura her yards of fabric and sewing utensils. "Don't worry. I'm sure I'll keep myself busy,"she smiled at the thought of all the new outfits she could make for her friend. The excitement was building up inside her as she just imagined of the possibilities. "Now go. Before I lose all my great ideas!"

Sakura nodded and hugged her friend once more before her and Li left Madison's house. Madison set up her desk with her sewing machine and walked into her closet, searching for the right color and fabric to use. She noticed a few that caught her eye and grabbed them, along with a pair of scissors. "Oh, Sakura. It's so nice to be able to make costumes for you again…but with the good comes the bad as well. Li, please take care of her for me." Madison sat down and diligently started working on Sakura's first outfit.

Li and Sakura were driven to his house by one of Madison's bodyguards. They thanked the driver as they got out of the black limo and then turned to each other, totally confused about what was going on. "I don't know, Li. I just…this doesn't feel right. There's something in the air…can you feel it?"

He stood next to her, crossing his arms and looking at his surroundings. "Yeah, I can feel it. I don't like it either, Sakura." They stood for a moment until he felt Sakura shiver next to him. "C'mon. Let's go inside before you get sick again,"he said, ushering her in his house.

As he closed the door behind him, he couldn't help but to feel sorry for Sakura. She had gone through enough with the capturing of The Clow Cards and then transforming them into Sakura Cards. He vividly could remember how tired she was and how it used to drain her of every bit of energy she had. He didn't want to see her go through it again. "Sakura?"

She turned to him, a sad look on her face. "It's not that I don't want to collect the cards, I just…I can't do this again, Li. Everytime I think everything is back to normal again, there's something else. My friends get hurt and I…I can't live like that." She sounded desperate, like she was calling out for help. "Goddammit,"she muttered, sitting down on his couch. "I hate not being able to sleep at night."

Li went to her, sitting next to her. "I know this may not seem like much of a comfort but uh, I know how it is. To not sleep, to only think about the cards and what's going to happen today. Who's gonna suffer?"He looked at her, trying to smile the best he could, if only to make her happy. "But, we'll get through this, okay? You're not alone, Sakura. Like I said, I'll never leave you."

She looked at him then, suddenly smiling and then she jumped into his arms, making him fall back onto the couch. He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through his hair and kissed her forehead, holding her tighter.

As she realized the position that they shared, she quickly sat up, her hands supporting her body on either side of his shoulders. They looked at each other for a moment before she sat down at the other end of the couch. "I'm sorry, Li. I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay, Sakura,"he said, sitting up as well. He loved that moment between them, even though it was only a moment. He loved to run his fingers through her hair, it was so beautiful, afterall. "You're my best friend, right? I didn't mind at all."

She smiled as she picked up the phone next to her, "I should call Eriol."

"Yeah, probably,"he murmured, secretly feeling a little sad. 

As she dialed the numbers that she had memorized from dialing so many times before, she thought about her actions. Why did I apologize? She wondered. I didn't feel bad doing it. I wanted it to happen. Oh, Sakura, you're so stupid. "So it wasn't a problem?"She asked Li, referring to before.

"No,"he laughed. "Of course it wasn't."

"Good,"she said, smiling. "Then I hope you don't mind me saying that you have a very nice body, Li." He blushed like crazy as he tried to hide the fact that not only didn't he mind, he loved it when she complimented him. And in such a flirtatious way as well! Li didn't feel as nervous anymore that she was calling Eriol. He slid closer to her as she started to speak.

"Hello, may I speak to Eriol? Oh hey, Eriol! I didn't recognize you!"She laughed and then looked over to Li, smiling at him. "Yeah, Li's here too. Wait, let me put you on speakerphone,"she said, pressing a button and then hanging up the phone.

"Hey, Li. It's been a while."

"Hello, Eriol,"Li said, trying to be happy. Although now he remembered why he didn't like Eriol. He was too damn charming.

"So, Sakura,"he continued. "For what do I owe the pleasure?" Li scowled at his remark, not caring if Eriol heard him. Could he try any harder to act like a Romeo?

This is the point in the conversation that it got serious. "Eriol,"she began in her sad tone. Li tried to sit closer to her, trying to provide her comfort. "I captured a card today."

There was a pause before Eriol spoke. A long pause. "The name?" Was all he asked.

"The Aquarius." Another pause ensued and when he didn't say anything, she felt like she should say more. "Kero was very vague in his description about what's going on here, Eriol. I was hoping you could tell Li and I some more information. Anything."

A sigh could be heard from the other end of the telephone. Eriol took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before putting them back on. "Has Yue been summoned?" He asked.

"Yes,"Sakura answered. She looked to Li, who gave her a sympathetic look. He knew she was hurting on the inside, trying to be strong. He loved her for that. How could she be willing to act strong? Was it for herself? For him? "Yes, Kero went to revive him."

"Listen to me closely, Sakura. A lot is going to change in the next month for you but I am confident you can do this."

"Do what Eriol?"She asked.

He paused before continuing, "Li, do you have the old Clow books?"

"Yeah, Eriol. They're in the study."

"Good,"he said, taking another pause to think some more. "I want you to research them and when you come across what you're looking for, you'll know. That is all I can tell you at this time, Sakura. Just…watch you're back from now on,"and with only that little bit of information, he hung up the phone.

Sakura looked over to the boy next to her. "Li, none of this is making sense. Kero doesn't know much and if Eriol does he's keeping it from me."

"I'm sure he has his reasons,"is all Li could say. That was a dumb answer, he thought. It's the worst excuse in the book, but Li knew he was right. Eriol would never put Sakura or himself in any harm. He must have his reasons. "I guess the only thing we can do is to look through those books to find some answers, Sakura,"he said, getting up to go retrieve them. He felt a hand grab his, stopping his movement.

"Isn't it strange that Eriol said that the next month would change for me? Li, the next month we have off from school is for Spring Vacation. That can't be a coincidence, Li. Remember? There are no coincidences."

"Only inevitibilities,"he finished softly, holding her hand. He could feel that both of them were feeling the exact same way. Scared. Unsure of what was coming but afraid even more of never knowing. "C'mon, cherry blossom,"he said quietly. "Let's go find out what we're up against."

They felt their way through the dark to the bottom of the basement. Sakura thanked her lucky stars that he couldn't see her face, because if he did, there was no way he couldn't mistake her blush for something else. She liked it when he called her cherry blossom. A lot.

"Where's that damn light?"Li said, holding Sakura's hand and trying to find the cord from the ceiling. He didn't mind searching all night, as long as he could hold her hand. Those thoughts disappeared as he found the string he had been searching for. "Here it is,"he tugged on it once and the light flickered on, leaving the room bright enough for them to search for the books. "They should be around here somewhere,"he said, starting to search through some boxes.

She did the same, looking through cardboard boxes that had probably not been opened since he moved back to Japan a few years ago. Curiously, she searched through one that had caught her attention. Opening the flaps, she saw a large pad of paper and upon taking it out, she flipped through the pages. "Oh, my God."

"What?"He said, a little concerned. Li looked up from the box he was digging through and ran his fingers through his hair. Such a sexy habit, Sakura thought.

"Li, I had no idea you were such a great artist,"she took her eyes away from his and looked at each page.

"WHAT?!?!"He yelled, standing up and trying to grab the sketchbook from her. "Sakura! Give it back!"She continued to keep it until she reached a certain page and then stopped running away from him, backing up against a wall. He had a feeling about which picture she had found. Sakura's mouth was slightly parted as she stood at the picture, her eyes welling up with tears. "I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"Shutup, Li."He was afraid of that, he tried to approach her but stopped himself. Her eyes gazed over the picture of the young woman in the picture. She was naked, but her back was towards the audience's point of view, so nothing besides the curve of one of her breasts was seen. Her hair was slightly below her shoulders and there were petals everywhere. Cherry Blossom petals. "Is this me?"

He turned to the side, bowing his head. "Yes,"was all he could say. It was a quiet statement. Li hadn't meant the picture to be viewed like that. He was bored in art class and whenever he couldn't think straight, he thought of her. The images never went away while he was in Hong Kong and away from her. "I'm sorry I just…"missed you Sakura, he finished in his head. I always missed you.

She walked up to him and gave him back his sketchbook. "I think it's beautiful, Li." He looked in her eyes, the tears were flowing down. "I'm not mad at you, Li. I love it. I look…kind of…attractive." She couldn't think of the word to use. Sakura never really thought about how she looked, but in this picture, she felt like a beautiful princess in a fairy tale. What would it take to get her knight? She wondered.

"It's because you are attractive, Sakura,"he said, almost annoyingly. How could she not know? "You're very beautiful." He slightly blushed, holding the sketchbook to him, a priceless artifact to behold.

"Would you draw me again sometime?"She asked, not sure of what he would say. "No one has ever drawn my picture before…not like that. Not that…beautiful."

He smiled warmly, his eyes seeming to twinkle. "I would love to,"he answered, putting the large sketchbook on a shelf, a reminder to take it upstairs with him. Li grabbed the wooden box that was in the box the sketchbook was in and placed it on the shelf as well. "Just not now. We have other business to attend to."

Smiling from ear to ear, she softly kissed him on the cheek before brushing past him and checking more boxes. "I owe you one."

"You owe me nothing,"he whispered to himself, then turned around to search for the books that would hopefully give them so more answers.

The two continued looking for at least another half an hour before they almost gave up. Until Sakura struck gold, "I think I found them, Li!" He walked over to her, taking the book she was holding. "Of course I don't know much Chinese so this could be a cook book for all I know,"she said, crossing her arms.

He opened the clasp on the red leather book and skimmed through the first couple of pages, "No, this is definitely Clow Reed's handwriting. Good job, girl,"he said as he smiled, handing the book to her and looking through the other stacks of books next to the one she found. Picking up three or four more, he started heading towards the stairs. "Can you grab my sketchbook and box on the way out, Sakura?"

"Yeah, sure,"she said, picking up the book and placing it on the other old one she was carrying and carefully setting the wooden box on top of that. After shutting off the light, she followed Li to his room upstairs and down the hall, sliding the door closed behind her.

Li was sitting down on his bed, cross-legged, already ready to open the book in his lap. He looked up when she walked in and still looked at her while she set his sketchbook and box on his desk. Trying not to make it obvious he was staring at her, he looked away as she turned around. "Ready, Sakura?"

"As ready as I'll ever be,"she said, lying next to him on her stomach, her feet up in the air behind her like a little kid. He smiled. Only she could make such a childish position seem so sexy. "But there's one problem. I don't read Chinese, Li."

He sifted through the books he had brought up with him. "Here,"he said, handing her a rather large blue book with yellow stars, moons and suns on it. "This one looks to be in Japanese,"he paused. "You can read Japanese right?"Li said laughing.

"Shut it,"she said, hitting his leg. As their laughter died down, they started to read. Sakura flipped to the first page. "This one says 'Astrologics',"she pointed it and then skimmed through the first couple of pages. "It has descriptions and attributes for each sign."

"Oh, really?"he asked, setting aside his book momentarily to give her his full attention. "What does yours say?"We might as well have some fun before we start this researching adventure, he thought. Maybe it will make her a little more relaxed.

Sakura scanned the page until she came across a large red marking that looked like a cross between a T and a V. "It says that someone made up of components of an Aries are usually adventurous, energetic and courageous. But these actions can lead to quick-tempered and impulsive decisions, usually the result of being impatient."

"The first part was true,"he said, thinking of how she handled capturing the Clow Cards. He could remember a few times where he had been very surprised on how she dealt with problems. "But the second part is nothing like you. It's more like clumsy and late to school."

She nudged him, bringing out a smile, then looked for his sign. She came across a circle with two circles at either end in a silvery color. "Well, it says that a Cancer, which for you is represented by the crab,"she looked up from him and mumbled loudly. "Small world."

He glared at her but then softened when all he was just doing was proving that she was right. "Go on."He urged.

"A Cancer is usually intuitive, cautious and above all protective,"he blushed at the last word and she tried to ignore it, as not to cause him further embarrassment. How many times had he protected her, not caring if he was to be hurt or even killed? Even if the whole world was against her, he would still be by her side. "But a Cancer can also be moody, touchy and unable to let go." There was a slight pause before she spoke again, "Jeez, Li. I shouldn't have spent all that time trying to figure you out. I could have just used this book! It's like The Bible of Li!"She laughed as he threw a pillow at her face. Sakura stopped laughing immediately, but a smile still lingered.

They continued to search for what seemed like hours, never moving until Sakura rested her head on Li's lap and yawned. He looked over to his clock, 12:27. "Wow, it's already morning, Sakura,"Li said, breaking the silence and motioning to his clock. "I should have paid attention to the time more closely."

"No. It's okay,"she said, getting up from the spot on his bed and stretching. "I should probably get to walking home. Thanks, Li. For everything,"she said hugging him and then releasing, ready to leave. He held her though, not wanting her to leave. I need an excuse, he thought.

"You can't leave, Sakura."

She let go of him slowly, arching an eyebrow, questioning him. "And why not?"

"Because…we're not done researching and you can't go home alone. What if another one of these constellation things attacks you. I'm sorry, Sakura but, you're helpless without you're cards."

She knew he was right, "So what do you suggest I do? Stay here?"Oh please, she thought. Please say yes. Tori's not home, this is perfect. Just you and me and no one else to bother us. For one full night.

"Yeah, you can stay here,"he said laughing, as if it was nothing. Try to act calm, he told himself. Pretend like it's not a big deal and it won't be. Shut the hell up, he told himself. Of course it's a big deal. The woman I love is going to be sleeping in my room. This is going to drive me crazy. All I want to do is hold her, kiss her and tell her I love her. Well and some other stuff, Li thought smiling.

"Um, alright. If it's okay with you,"she said, agreeing. He nodded his head and she smiled back, accepting. "Well, if I'm staying here then I'm going to go change, okay?" She left abruptly, going to his bathroom.

Li waited for her return, moving the books to his table. "We'll continue searching tomorrow morning,"he told himself. "My brain is overloaded. To hell with this,"he said, closing the last book he was looking at, putting a bookmark in it before he did.

He turned at the sound of the door opening, "I just remembered, I don't have any extra clothes." Sakura laughed nervously as Li stared at her. She had a white sheet around her body, like a towel would be, except it dragged on the floor. Sakura kept two ends behind her on her lower back, holding them with one hand. "Can I borrow…"

"Sakura, don't move,"Li commanded as he grabbed an easel from his closet and pulled up a chair. He opened the sketchbook to a blank page and started to open his wooden box, which held his charcoal pencils.

"You're going to sketch me like this?"She asked skeptically. "I have a bed sheet around my body, Li."

He held a charcoal pencil in one hand and ran his fingers through his hair with the other. She smiled as he did this. He is so attractive, she thought. And when he does that… "Sakura,"he said, cutting off her thoughts. "It doesn't matter what you're wearing…it just…I see something beautiful worth putting down on paper." He looked her up and down and then glanced around his room and then motioned to the corner of his wall. "Over there,"he said.

She followed the direction his finger pointed to and walked there, leaning against the wall. "Now, put your arm over your head. Like this,"he showed her.

A little unsure of herself, she mimicked him. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing,"she laughed.

"You're my model, Sakura. Don't worry about it. Just try to relax." He examined her position one more time and then stood up and approached her. "Now, move slightly this way,"he said, placing his hand on the small of her bare back, moving her so that her back would be shown on the portrait. Very similar to the last one. "Good. Now, put your head to the left…no, right." He moved her chin to the position and when he was satisfied he smiled with excitement and sat back at his seat.

"What's with my back, Li?"She asked. "Is there something wrong with the front of me?"

"Of course there isn't,"he said, starting to sketch an outline. "It's just that your back is very defined and well…beautiful." Smiling again, he felt like flying. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Why did I think it was so strange to fall in love with her? It seems so right now. So comfortable. She makes me this way. "Relax, Sakura,"he said softly, watching her tense up.

"I can't help it, Li. I'm almost half-naked and you're drawing me. I'm just not used to this." He felt like she was pleading to him. Like she was in pain.

"Well, then let's talk. About anything. It will get your mind off of me sketching you. Sound good?"he asked, continuing to take quick glances from Sakura and then back to his paper again.

"Yeah, sure,"she said, agreeing. She stood there, uncomfortably, racking her brain for a topic to discuss. I could ask him about…she thought, hesitating. Oh, well. What's the worst that could happen? "Li, you know the night that I was going to surprise you at your house? For getting captain?"

"Mmmhmm,"he said, switching to a smaller pencil.

"What were you and Selena doing that night?"She could feel her heart starting to beat faster. How did I get the guts to ask that? Sakura wondered. Why does it feel like a hundred degrees in here?  
Li tensed up a little, he wasn't expecting that question. "We were getting back from uh…the movies I think." Oh, God. Why'd she have to ask me that. I don't like talking about Selena. Her reputation at the school was that of being a little open or well, promiscuous. She was a nice enough girl, Li thought. Afterall, we dated for two months, until that night. I broke up with her after Sakura went home.

There was a long silence between them. "Ya know, Li. I never liked her. She wasn't very nice."

He looked up from his paper, "She wasn't that bad, Sakura." He said. Why am I defending her? "It just didn't work out between us. We wanted different things, alright?" He said with hostility. Yeah, I wanted you. Do you know how that feels?

"I know what she wanted, Li. She had a reputation of being easy." She turned a little more to him, trying to look at him when she talked, but he motioned her to go back. "Did you guys ever…?"

"Ever what, Sakura? Have sex?"She nodded her head slightly. "Not that it's any of your business, but no we didn't." Why did I say that it wasn't any of her business. She's my best friend! Li mentally smacked his forehead.

"She threatened me once, Li."That grabbed his attention. His eyes shot from the paper to her body. Her head was turned towards the wall and her arm was down next to her side. "She told me that I was the type of girl that ruined things. She pissed me off so much! It was so tempting to use the cards against her. I almost did once too. Especially when she hit me. Almost makes you want to hit back, ya know? But I didn't. I didn't want to ruin things. Ya know, between the two of you. You seemed so…happy. For once." There was a pause between them as she turned around asking, "Are you done yet?"

Now he felt like an asshole. A big one. How could he not have known? Selena hated Sakura with a passion. It was still a mystery to him why he started dating her in the first place. When Li told her about how they didn't have sex, that was a lie. She forced herself on him, but he didn't want it with her, even though he didn't stop it. He didn't love her like…like he loved Sakura.

"Yeah, I'm done,"he said quietly. He watched her as she walked over to where she was, the bed sheet dragging on his floor. Li could feel Sakura as she hovered over him as he sat in front of the easel.

She smiled slightly, very pleased at what she saw. "It's very nice. You did a good job, Li. Thank you." Sakura started to leave, wanting to get out of these bed sheets and probably go home. She felt strange now here. None of her business? She repeated in her head. He's my best friend. Why is he acting so cold?

"It's very nice?"he repeated, causing her to stop. "See, I was going for very beautiful, so I don't know if this works then." He smiled and then stood up, approaching her cautiously. When she didn't answer him, he walked past her to his drawers and searched through the bottom. "Here,"he said, handing her a pair of pants and a t-shirt. "Where are you going? Home?"

"Li, you still act cold to me. You love me right? I thought you treated the ones you love like they meant something to you. Why do you have to lie to me?" She asked, stepping away from him. "I know you're not a virgin, Li."

"Are you mad at me?" He asked, not sure of how she would respond to that.

She walked towards the door and then turned around sharply, frustrated and upset. "Yes, Li! I am! And not because you fucked her, either. Do whatever you want, it's none of my damn business." She took a few anger steps towards him as she began talking again, "What I'm mad about is that you lied to me. But more than that is the fact that…you still act like when you tried to take The Clow Cards away from me in the fourth grade,"she finished, turning around and walking away.

As soon as he heard the door shut behind her, he lifted his hand and made a fist, punching the wall next to him. "Damnit!" He yelled as his fist connected with the hardness of white slab in front of him. "I'm such a stupid idiot. I can't believe I did that. Why did I have to lie to her?"He asked himself, walking towards his window. "Oh yeah, I love her, that's why. How could I have told her I lost my virginity to…to her! I should have stopped her. I didn't love her. And I know she didn't love me,"he muttered as he pushed open his window, feeling the cool breeze.

"I probably just screwed up the only chance I had with her…shit…"Li mumbled quietly. Hoping, praying that she wouldn't hear him. "She trusted me too. Ahhh!"He yelled as he sat on his windowsill. Suddenly getting an idea, he jumped out.

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror. The pants must have been his, they were just too big to be Meilin's. Blue and much larger than her waist or hips, the pants would have kept falling down if she didn't tie the drawstring as tight as she could. Her shirt, on the other hand must have been Meilin's because it was too small for her. "I look…weird. Ah, well,"she muttered as she left the bathroom and walked down the hall towards Li's door.

I can't believe I blew up at him like that, she thought. He must think I'm some sort of madwoman who belongs in an insane asylum or something. I'm not crazy, Li! I just…care about you. Probably too much for my own good. But what was my problem anyways? Selena treated Li fairly well, better than most girls. Well, some girls, anyways. She just treated me like crap but, what does that matter? I wasn't dating her, hell, I'm not even friends with her. Ahhh! I'm so stupid. He was right. It's none of my business.

She knocked on his door softly, "Li?"she asked hesitantly. When no one answered she opened the door slowly, "Li, I just wanted…Li?…Li?"she called. He wasn't there. She walked into the middle of the room, then wrapped her arms around herself, reacting to how cold his room had gotten. The open window, she thought. He must be on the roof. As she closed her eyes and searched for his familiar green aura, sure enough, he was on the roof. "Crazy boy,"she smiled as she grabbed a soccer sweatshirt from his closet and went out the window.

Li sat on his roof, watching the stars, hoping she might come after him. Hoping. He wouldn't be surprised if she didn't come up at all though. He did lie to her. Lying to Sakura was pointless, most of the time she saw right through it. Especially with Li. She knew him better than she knew herself. She could write down on a piece of paper about Li. Writing about herself would prove problematic.

He heard a noise beneath him and he looked down to the bottom of the roof and saw a certain teenager climb towards him. "Sakura?"

"It's a full moon tonight,"she stated, sitting next to him.

"Yeah, it's beautiful, isn't it?"

She looked up to where his eyes were averted to. "It is,"she said agreeing. They both sat like that for a few minutes, just admiring the moon. "I didn't mean to be upset with you, Li. I just couldn't help it. I've known for a while that you had sex with Selena, but I never said anything. I just overreacted."

"How did you know?"He asked, looking at her.

She laughed but then it died down, "One day, your aura changed. I knew you did. I never imagined though, you would have sex with her, Li. "

"Me neither,"he agreed. "Now that I look back on it, it was a bad decision."

She nodded slowly, accepting it. After another moment or two she spoke again. "How was it like?" He turned to her, wide-eyed. Li laughed nervously, thinking of how to explain. "You don't have to answer me. I know it's weird."

"No, it's okay,"he said, really not wanting to say anything about it. Li just wanted to forget the whole thing. It was a mistake, he told himself. "It was…different. I mean she had obviously done it before. I don't know. I guess the worst part was that I didn't love her. Sakura, I don't think she's ever been that appealing to me. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Ah, I think I can guess,"she said nudging him. He glared at her playfully, a smile on his lips. "Hey! I'm joking! But, in all seriousness Li, everyone screws up, make mistakes, regret choices. You're my best friend. I don't care what you did." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I guess. I just wish it wasn't with her. If I could turn back time, I'd take it back. It just wasn't right."

"Well, you can't turn back time. I can freeze it for you,"she laughed. "But there is no Reverse Time Card, Li."

He laughed, trying to imagine what the Reverse Time Card might look like if it existed. "Sakura?"She turned to him, looking sweet like she always did. "Um…nevermind."

"No, Li. What is it?"She moved herself closer to him, causing him to look away.

"Do you ever feel like something's missing in your life?"

She looked away from him and concentrated on the houses in front of her, thinking of what to say. "Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes I feel uneasy, like…I don't know." Sakura put her hand over his. "But I do know what you're talking about."

He smiled gently, looking at her. "Maybe I should date more."

"When was your last date, Li?"She asked in a mocking tone.

Li tried to think but then burst out laughing. "God! I can't remember!" And that's when she started laughing as well. When they finished their fit of laughter, she rested her head on his shoulder and he in turn put his arm around her.

"I think we all just want the feeling of love. To love someone."

"And be loved in return."

"Yeah, definitely,"she said, yawning.

"Tired?"

"Yeah, just a little."

He smiled, softly kissing her head, not even knowing if she felt it. "Let's go get some rest then. We have a long day of shopping ahead of us tomorrow.

She lifted her head up, a big smile on her face. "We're still going?"

"Of course. You said you were fine…unless you lied to me."

Sakura jumped into his arms, "Oh, Li! Thank you!" At first he didn't know what to do, but then he just relaxed and held her back as well.

"It's nothing." I just…love you, Sakura. Nothing at all.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wendigo-Okay so that's the first four chapters. You like? Then review please! The last part of chapter four I was running out of ideas so it's kind of blah. Oh, well. Anyways, chapter five (the shopping trip!) should be up by September 17. I plan on writing it over the weekend. It normally would be done by Saturday night since I know exactly what's going to happen next chapter but I have a party I'm going to. But, we'll see. So anyways, review! And don't be harsh! I'm sensitive! Oh! And check out my other story "Nothing Stays The Same." See ya next chapter!


	5. Of Promises And Strong Women

Wendigo-Here it is

Wendigo-Here it is! The long-awaited…(well not really) Chapter Five. This is just a warning, I'm trying to not make this the typical S+S (or S+L in this case) fic. I don't want them confessing love like seven chapters in. That is not going to happen! I love reading S+S stories but after a while it gets kinda old reading the same plot and the same way to confess love and to kiss over and over. It's nice and all! I'm not dissing anyone! I do love it…I'm just not going to fall in that category. So expect something good, there will be S+S I guarantee you, just not how you might expect it. Hopefully this will make a better end. And as always I don't own these characters. CLAMP does. There! I said it! Ha! Now enjoy! 

Chapter Five-Of Promises and Strong Women

Sakura started to stir in her bed as the rays of light came through the window. "What ungodly hour is it?"She asked herself as she turned over to find a clock. Flailing her arms around, she knocked it off the nightstand and it fell somewhere under the bed. "Errr…I never get a break." Sakura groaned as she hung over Li's bed and searched under it for the clock. "Where are you clock?"

"Sakura?"

"AHHH!"She yelled as she flipped over from the bed, landing on her back. "Owww…Li, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"She asked as she turned her head towards the perpetrator at the door. He just shrugged his shoulders and threw her some clothes that landed over her head, obstructing her view.

"What were you doing, Sakura? Acrobatics?" The girl grabbed the clothes from her face and tossed them behind her as she tried to angrily glare at Li. "Here. They're Meilin's. It's already 10:00, Sakura. Hurry up and get dressed so you can eat breakfast,"Li said crossing his arms.

"You're so sensitive, Li,"she said sarcastically as she sat up. "Are all guys like you?"

"You wish,"he laughed as he shut the door, mumbling something to himself and then laughing some more.

Sakura looked at the clothes and stuck her tongue out. She was going shopping with a guy that had no clue about fashion whatsoever. "Great. Just wonderful,"she laughed as she changed.

Li was cooking to some music on the radio in the kitchen. Flipping the pancakes high in the air and then catching them expertly with the empty plates and setting them on the table. He sang along while he cleaned up the blanket and pillows on the bed from the night before, then placing them into a closet in the hall. Of course he wasn't going to sleep in the same room as Sakura. No way. He wouldn't be able to sleep at all then.

"Li! I'm not impressed,"she laughed as she stepped out from his room in a black and red plaid skirt with a black tank top complete with combat boots. "I look like some sort of punk rocker or something…this isn't me at all."

Li shut the closet door and leaned on it with his shoulder, surveying her outfit. "I don't know, Sakura. It looks kinda…"

"Stupid?"

"I was going to say…cute. It looks cute."

That had surprised her. She wasn't expecting that answer, but something along the lines of dumb, silly, crappy… "You really think I look cute?"She asked looking at herself. "Well, it's certainly different." She brushed past him as she walked into the kitchen, her clunky boots making deep scuffing noises. "You made pancakes?"

He sighed to himself happily as he turned from his leaning position and walked into the kitchen. She does look very cute. Well, I guess sexy would be a better word. The way the skirt hangs on her and how that tank top sculpts her upper body. She looks very…nice. He smiled to himself as he grabbed the syrup from his refrigerator and sitting across from Sakura at the table. "Syrup?"He asked.

"Yeah, sure!"She smiled as she took it from him. "Thanks, Li. For everything you did for me yesterday. You're a great friend."

Friend. He smiled even though his eyes spoke of sadness. I'd like to be your love as well. "You'd do the same for me, Sakura. Right?"He asked, digging into his food.

She thought playfully. "Umm…I don't know, Li…"She said looking up to his ceiling as she felt a warm lump hit her face. Upon examining her lap, she found a piece of pancake. "Li! Of course I'd do the same thing!"She yelled throwing it back to him. They both started laughing. And for the rest of the meal, a random piece of food was thrown every few minutes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"So you didn't find anything last night, Li? Anything at all?"Sakura asked. They were riding to the mall in Li's sports car. She was trying to cross her legs but it was proving to be a difficult task with the boots on. Li laughed a little as he now watched Sakura try to sit cross-legged on her seat.

"Nope. Nothing. Not even a clue. But then again, we didn't finish searching through all the books either,"he remembered, stopping at a light and shifting. "We'll have to look some more when we get back to my house."

"Wait a minute!" Sakura said, still trying to get comfortable in her seat. "Why are we going back to your house? I'd like to go home some time soon!"

"Calm down, Sakura. I was just joking around!"He motioned to the backseat. "I brought the books with me so we can go to your house, okay?" His eyes went back to the light as it turned green and he turned a sharp right as Sakura was trying to position herself again, but she ended up falling into him.

"Sakura! I can't shift!"He yelled, trying to get him off of her. Damn this standard! He thought. I wish this was an automatic so she could stay…now why would she do that?! He yelled at himself as he tried to push her off of him. I really don't want to do this, Sakura. He thought as she finally got shoved back into her seat.

"Sorry, Li! I didn't mean to!"

He smiled softly and patted her leg, "It's okay, Sakura. Not a big deal. Just don't let it happen again,"he laughed as he accelerated onto the highway. Changing the subject, Li asked, "So, Sakura…what kind of dress are you looking for?"

"Um, she's graduating from high school soon and she needed a dress for graduation or the prom or something like that. But since we like the same stuff and we're the same size, I can try it on and just send it to her, knowing it will fit."

Li smiled at the opportunity to see Sakura try on dresses. That would be a nice experience. "Well, I'm glad you brought me,"he absentmindedly commented.

"How so?"She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Well I do have four sisters and Meilin. I am somewhat of an expert." Nice cover, he thought.

"I highly doubt that, Li. But for now, I'll trust your judgement,"she laughed as he got off the highway and then stopped at another light, ready to turn into the mall. "Madison told me about some great stores here, so we won't be long. We need to get back to my house,"she emphasized which made him smile. "We have a lot of researching left to do."

"Yeah, we have to talk to your guardians too. We really need to know what's going on, here. More cards?"He shook his head as he turned the wheel to park. "Why now? There's got to be more to it than that. It just doesn't make sense otherwise."

"Well, not much makes sense to you, Li,"Sakura joked as she got out of his car. He walked over to her, standing close, his hands on his hips, shaking his head.

"Oh, I get it! You're trying to put me down or something cause I thought SHUTUP!"He yelled and then broke out in laughter too while she beat on him for yelling at her.

"You're so mean to me! I don't know why I put up with you!"She tried to yell but was laughing too hard.

"It's because…you don't have any other friends!"He laughed out, putting an arm around her shoulder lovingly.

"Yeah, well…you don't either,"she mumbled through her smile as she put her arm around his waist as they stumbled into the mall's entrance. "I'm all you got, Li."

True, Sakura. You're all I ever wanted. He smiled as they both released each other, then put his hands in his pockets. "So where's this store Madison suggested?"

"I don't know,"Sakura said, stopping to look around. "She said that it was right when we walked in and we couldn't miss it." She looked around some more and then spotted it. "Ah! There it is! C'mon, Li!"She said, grabbing his hand and practically running there.

"Slow down, Sakura! It's not going anywhere!"He laughed as Sakura ran into the store. The sales lady looked at them oddly and then smiled. "Great, Sakura. Now she's going to kick us out,"he said, nudging her. Why were they flirting so much today? Must be something in the air.

For some unknown reason she hugged him tightly and then quickly released as the lady approached them, leaving Li confused and a little red in the cheeks. Okay, I wasn't expecting that, he thought as he tried to act calm. I'm glad she did it though.

"I'm sorry,"the saleslady said as she stood in front of them. "But I can't help but notice the two of you. Are you Sakura Avalon?"

Sakura looked over to Li and he just gave her a look like he didn't know. "Yeah, that's me,"she said, a little confused as she looked to the lady in front of her.

"Ms. Taylor told me that you would be arriving today and she set some dresses aside that she insisted that you try on!" She smiled happily as she walked behind the two, guiding them towards the back of the store. "Well Ms. Avalon, my name is Mrs. Lassadar and you can change in here. I've already put the dresses in their as well,"she said, motioning to the dressing room behind the counter, away from the rest of the store. "If you need any help, I'll be by the register."

As she watched Mrs. Lassadar leave, Sakura leaned against the wall, "I should have known this would happen, Li. Why does Madison do this?"

He imitated Sakura and leaned against the wall in the same way. "You know why she did this, Sakura." She looked up to him as he continued. "Besides, I think it's kinda amusing."

"Yeah, you would,"she said, shoving him and pushing aside the curtain, entering the changing room. "Holy shit, Li!"Sakura yelled.

"What is it?"

"There must be at least twenty dresses in here!" He laughed as he sank to the floor, a vision of Madison picking out the dresses in his head. As his laughing subsided, all he heard was the shuffling of clothes around. "I already know my cousin wouldn't like half of these dresses." She hummed a tune as she looked over the rest remaining. "No…no…no…n…wait!"

Li looked down and saw her skirt come off and her shirt get thrown on the pile as well, but then came her bra. "Sakura, what kind of dress is this?" He asked, eyeing the bra on the floor.

"Just wait a second will you! I'm almost done!" She said as he saw her slender legs slip into a silvery dress that he couldn't see much of. "Okay, but you have to promise to tell me the truth!"

"Let me see you,"he said, wondering how she looked.

"Promise!"

"I promise, Sakura. There. I said it. Now will you come…"his voice trailed off as the curtain parted and she stepped out. He slowly stood up, shocked out how majestic and composed she looked. 

"You promised, Li. How is it? Is it really that bad?"

He smiled slowly, trying to find the words to express how she looked. As she slowly turned around, he noticed how the dressed played with his senses…one sense in particular. The dress was long and silvery, hugging her curves, showing off her entire body. It scooped low into the front and the back of the dress, or the lack thereof, showed her entire back. It went so low, it was enticing. She turned around again, now she was facing him, hands by her side, pleading him to say something. "Good. Really good. I think you should get your cousin that dress. Definitely."

"Are you sure? But you haven't seen any of the others."

A smile played on his lips as he crossed his arms, "I think her date will like it. Trust me,"he said, leaving the room and her. If he stayed there any longer, words would escape his lips not meant to be said. He walked out of the store, saying goodbye to Mrs. Lassadar and then he sat on the bench outside, thinking. God, I want to tell her. I'm sick of pretending I don't have feelings for her. It's just that…she's not interested. I know it. I mean, every boy on a sports team is already lining up to ask her to the Athlete and Fine Arts Ball next week. Unfortunately, I already have a date.

"Li!"He looked up, expecting to see a smiling sorceress. He didn't, though.

"Zach!"He called back, standing up to meet him and Chelsea. "Hey guys, what are you doing here?"

"Researching on the ancient…"Chelsea elbowed him in the gut and he rubbed his head. "Actually Chelsea is looking for a dress for The Ball next week. Is that what you and Sakura are doing? Did you ask her…"

"No, Zach. I didn't. Remember, I'm going with Selena…unfortunately. But no, Sakura is looking for a dress for her cousin's birthday. I don't even know if she's going."

"I don't think she is,"Chelsea said, looking to Li. "She didn't seem at all interested when I talked to her the other day." She paused, taking Zach by the hand. "How is she doing, Li? She doesn't talk to any of us about her…um…depression? Is that even the right word? I don't know…"

Li looked reassuringly at Chelsea, "She's fine. We talked about it last night and she's good now. Back to her old happy self." He paused for a moment before asking, "Do you guys know why she isn't going?"

"I'm not sure,"Chelsea said, then kissed Zach on the cheek, smiling. "She really didn't go into any detail about it…oh!"Chelsea said, remembering something. "I forgot to introduce you to this girl we just met." Chelsea turned around and looked for her friend, then spotted her, "Megumi! Hey, Meg! Come over here!"

A girl with black hair in a ponytail rushed over to where the three friends were standing. "What is it Chels?"

Chelsea motioned to Li, introducing him. "Meg this is Li. Li, Meg. She just came over from Tokyo a few days ago and she's staying with my family."

"It's nice to meet you,"Megumi said, smiling and then extending her hand.

Li shook it politely, "Yeah, likewise." He put his hands back in his pockets. "So,"he said, trying to strike up a conversation. "You're from Tokyo?"

"Yeah,"Chelsea said, speaking for Megumi. "She actually went to school with Sakura's brother, Tori."

Megumi laughed slightly and crossed her arms. "So this is the gaki I've heard so much about." Li scowled. Tori could be so stupid sometimes.

"Yeah…that's me." Li looked down but then a smile spread across his face as he felt a hand envelop around his arm. He looked over to see Sakura smiling at him. "Hey, you,"he softly said.

"Hey!"She turned to Chelsea and Zach, "Hey, guys! Fancy meeting you here!"Then noticing Chelsea's bag in her hands, "Dress shopping I see. Anything good?"

Chelsea nodded and showed Sakura her long blue dress with matching gloves. "Yeah, Zach absolutely loves it. Don't ya?" He blushed and Chelsea snuggled up to him even more. Sakura smiled, but only with sadness. She envied what they shared. "Oh, Sakura! This is a friend of mine, Megumi."

"Nice to finally meet you, Sakura." When she noticed the confused look on Sakura's face, she explained. "Your brother and I go to the same college."

"Small world,"Sakura remarked and then started to tug at Li's arm. "I think we should be going now, Chelsea, Zach. We have some more shopping to do. It was nice meeting you Megumi."

Li said his goodbyes to his friends as Sakura dragged him away from them. "What are you doing, Sakura?"He asked, not understanding what she was doing. She didn't answer though as she pulled him into the new Botanical Forest Restaurant, standing in line behind the waiting customers. "Are you hungry? Is that it?"

"Well, I am hungry, but that's not it." She looked around quickly and then pulled him closer to her. "Didn't you feel it, Li?"

"Feel what?"He asked as they both moved to the front of the line. The conversation would have to be put on hold for a few minutes.

"Is it just the two of you?"The waitress asked.

"Yes,"Sakura said, still looking around.

The waitress turned to Li, "You are very lucky, sir. There is one table left right by the new waterfall." She took two menus and led them down the path. Li couldn't help but to realize how nervous Sakura had become within the past few minutes. His face read concern all over it.

As they exited a tunnel, Sakura brightened a little at the spectacle before them. A real waterfall that dropped into a pool below it was the scene, with lights acting as stars above them in the dimly lit room. The waitress escorted them to their table that had a forest green tablecloth and three white candles in a triangle at the center. They took their seats and she handed them their menus, "I'll be back in a few minutes to get your orders."

Sakura watched as she left and then turned her attention to Li. "So you didn't feel it?"

"I don't even know what you're referring to, Sakura. Feel what?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, "From Megumi! I noticed it when she looked at me. There's a strong aura coming from her."

Li shook his head, "I don't know. I really wasn't trying to concentrate on it at the time but…"he closed his eyes, trying now to concentrate on her aura, if it was anywhere nearby. "Yeah, I can feel something. It's not like everyone else's." He thought about it for a moment. "Maybe it has something to do with the new cards."

"Perhaps,"Sakura said, looking out to the waterfall.

Li grabbed her hand, trying to get her attention. "Really, Sakura. Think about it. Yesterday we're attacked and you capture this new card, The Aquarius. And just by coincidence this girl shows up today and we both detect an unusually strong aura from her. Nah-uh. Remember, Sakura. There are no coincidences."

"Only inevitabilities,"she finished. They both smiled at each other. He finished her sentence the last time.

"That's right,"he smiled. "Let's not rule out any possibilities yet, but at the same time, we can't go pointing fingers. She could be able to see into the sprit world like your brother. If that's the case, then we have nothing to worry about."

"Maybe she's causing this. Like Eriol did. Maybe it's some sort of test or something,"she thought, folding her arms.

"Yeah, but remember, Eriol was just trying to help you transform the Clow Cards into Sakura Cards. I don't know,"he said shaking his head. They both picked up their menus and started looking at what to get, neither one of them wanting to think about the new cards.

"What are you going to get?"She asked, looking over the menu.

"Hmm…I think the ribs look good. It's been a while since I've had some good ones anyways. What about you?" He asked, setting down his menu.

"The Caesar Salad looks really good. Mmmm,"she hummed, licking her lips and putting down her menu.

"So why aren't you going to the ball, Sakura?"Li asked.

She thought for a moment. Everyone she knew had dates and even though she had many offers from a lot of nice guys, she didn't want to go with any of them. If Li didn't have anyone to go with, she would ask him, ya know…as friends or something. Yeah, or something.

"Are you going to answer me or set yourself on fire?"

Sakura looked at her finger, which kept going through the flame. She stopped, burning herself a little and then retracted her finger back to her lap, rubbing the pain away. "I don't know, Li. There's no one I really want to go with. But I was thinking,"she said, a smile appearing on her face. "You're one of the closest people to me, Li. And ya know…I just thought…"She looked up to him. "I would really like it if you went with me." His heart sank into the darkest depths of his body. He swore he could almost feel tears in his eyes. Sakura noticed this change as well. "Who's the lucky girl?"She asked, trying to act happy, although she certainly wasn't.

"Sakura, I'm sorry. I would really like to go with you. We'd have so much fun. You know there's no one else I'd rather go with. I mean like you said, you're one of the closest people to me…shit…" He ran his fingers through his hair as he searched for the words, which made her feel like crying even more. She was being rejected and he did that thing that drove her wild for some unknown reason! Why did she let it?! Why was it Li?! Why did she feel like that whenever he did it…whenever he spoke to her like that or whenever he laughed or smiled….whenever he did anything.

"It's Selena, isn't it?"She asked, her throat felt like her heart was trying to escape out of it. Escape to the plastic stars above them. Anywhere but here, it said.

"Sakura, I'm sorry. You know I lo…"

"I know you care about me as your friend,"she said. Completely changing what he was about to say. They both knew that. "But it's okay. You probably promised her while you guys were still together."

"Yeah, I did. It was a bad mistake."

"No, Li,"she said looking away from him and to the waterfall. He looked at her face, watching a tear escape her eye. Her face was bright from the lights coming from the water and playing all over her face. A small smile approached on her lips, "Don't regret it. You can't take it back or anything."

He smiled as he spoke softly, slowly, "I really wish I had that reverse time card." They both laughed as she looked to him. He felt his heart skip a beat as the light and shadows battled across her face, revealing her beauty to him. Her laugh brightening the candles, making them flicker from her breath.

Sakura's smile faded as she cleared her throat. "Li,"she spoke with intensity, but yet lovingly. "I…I love…"

At that moment, a thud sound could be heard from behind Sakura's head and they both turned towards the noise. An arrow was lodged into one of the trees next to her. Sakura stood up and went to the tree, pulling the arrow out of it. The shaft of the arrow was pure white, but the arrowhead and the end held a deep purple. Li ran to her, grabbing her arm and running towards a place where they could get some privacy, behind the rocks of the waterfall. No one noticed as they jumped into the pool and trudged to a little pocket behind the streams of the water. "Sakura! Your staff!"

She reached into her shirt and grabbed the key, letting her power take over. "Key of the star, with powers burning bright. Reveal the staff and shine your light! Release!" The seal glowed from beneath her and the light shined from the waterfall. To a normal person it would just be another romantic light from the water. To them however, it was a sign of passion and strength. Li called upon his sword as well and then watched Sakura take over. "Sleep Card!"She called out, bringing forth the card. "Release and dispel! Sleep!"She commanded, striking the card with her staff.

The cute Sleep fairy emerged from the waterfall with Sakura and Li behind it. They watched as The Sleep did its job, causing everyone not to witness the events that were about to take place. After it had finished its task, Sakura thanked the card and called it back. She jumped out of the pool and looked around her, "Where is this card?!"She called out as Li jumped to her side.

As if on cue, they heard a few splashes behind and above them, then turned to look. On the top of the waterfall stood a woman that must have been at least six feet tall, a bow in one hand and arrows on her back. She resembled that of an Amazon from the Greek Myths that Sakura had read in school. Beautiful yet very skillful.

Li looked at the woman but grabbed Sakura by her hand as the woman started to draw arrow after arrow. "Li! I can run by myself!" He ignored her as they ran behind one of the trees and he pulled her into his arms. One arrow went right through the tree, barely missing them.

"Do you see why I did that Sakura?!"He asked, feeling her nod in his hold.

"We have to think of something Li!"She yelled in his shirt. "We have to pick a card that can out run her. She draws those arrows like lightning!" Realizing what she was saying, she pulled out The Thunder and called upon its help. "Thunder Card! Release and dispel! Thunder!"

They both came out from the tree, watching The Thunder try to chase down the Amazon woman. Everytime it tried to attack though, she dodged it with ease. "This isn't working, Sakura!"Li yelled to her. She nodded as she called back The Thunder, thanking it like she did with The Sleep.

"Now what?!"He didn't answer her question, just grabbed her wrist again, running away from more arrows. "Li!"She called his name as they continued to run.

"Don't complain, Sakura!"He yelled back to her, trying to evade the arrows by striking them down with his sword. He was running out of energy and slowing down with each hit. "If we stop now, she'll shoot us!" And that's what Sakura did. She stopped in her tracks and forced Li to release her of his grasp as she ran the opposite way. "SAKURA!"He called after her, trying to run after her but was stopped by arrows and was forced to run the way he originally was going. "Damn it! Sakura!"

"I've got an idea, Li!" She jumped onto one of the tables in the middle of the room and took out a card and held it between her index and middle finger. "Shot Card! Release and dispel! Shot!" She struck the card and watched as a red flash of light beamed from the card and danced around the limbs of the trees, chasing the woman down.

The Amazon tried to draw the arrows fast enough, but to no avail. Finally, The Shot hit her down into the water, and then returned to its card form. Sakura jumped from the table and ran to the pool, watching the Amazon sitting near the waterfall, crying. Not caring if the woman tried to kill her, she entered the pool and walked up to the woman, offering the Amazon her hand.

The woman looked up and took her hand, then pulled her into a hug, just like The Aquarius. "You did well, Sakura. You are truly a strong woman,"she smiled as she backed away from Sakura, letting her aura mix with Sakura's like before with The Aquarius. "I am The Archer and I believe you hold two of my siblings already. The stars are proud of you,"she said, pointing a finger to the stars on the ceiling. As if in response, they glowed brighter.

Sakura smiled back then raised her staff, "Sakura Card! Return to your power confined!" She struck down right in front of the woman, creating a multi-colored card waiting to be filled. "The Sagittarius!"

Li walked up to Sakura, watching as The Archer returned to its card form in The Sagittarius. After all was done and the weapons returned to pendants, all was quiet, except for the steady sound of water falling into the pool they were standing in. Before the people would wake, she left the restaurant, following the path under the tunnel formed by sagging trees. "Sakura!" He called, chasing after her. She stopped and turned to him. "Sakura, before…you said you loved something. What do you love?" He asked, walking up to her, slowly. Hope and anticipation twinkled in his eyes, or was that the reflection of light? His hair was wet and he ran his fingers through it again, causing her to shiver. Part from being soaked and cold and part from him and his goddamned sexy hair. "What do you love?"He repeated softly, walking closer to her, entwining his fingers of his left hand with her right.

Sakura looked up at him, the lights on her face and making her tears sadder in her eyes. She released his hand slowly as she spoke sadly, "I love the way you make me laugh."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wendigo-So how did you like it? Did you think she was going to tell him her "feelings" or whatever she has for him? No no no! Bad readers! : ) Anyways, the next chapter should be out by Wednesday or Thursday, maybe later, but definitely before the weekend comes so keep on checking back! I wish I could get it out sooner but I have so much stuff to do this week. Trust me, I'd rather be writing than anything else. But as for now, I'm running with the shadows of the night…and against the time span to read my book for English! And as always review! Even if it's bad…just don't tell me it's the worst thing you ever read or something! "I can't take that kind of rejection!" quoted by that dinosaur from Toy Story. We are a lot a like that dino and me.


	6. The Woman Of Arms

Wendigo-Okay, so here's the next chapter

Wendigo-Okay, so here's the next chapter. Where's the S+S you ask? It's coming along…slowly but surely. I can't give it to you right away…good things come to those who wait and judging by my plan, very good things! So again enjoy the story and as always R and R!

Disclaimer-How many times do I have to express the fact that I don't own them?! They belong to CLAMP. Not me. I wouldn't be that fortunate!

Chapter Six- The Woman Of Arms

The drive to Sakura's house was silent. Neither dared to move, let alone talk to each other. The only sound that could be heard was when Li would shift, making the engine roar in response. Once Li was in a comfortable gear, he switched on the radio to provide some sort of awkward silence breaker. He scanned the stations, trying to find something that wasn't talk. Anything that carried a tune, anything! He passed one such station and immediately went back to find it, sitting back when he did.

"Ballerina, you must have seen her, dancing in the sand. Now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand."He looked over to Sakura, who was humming the tune and looking out the window. He almost swore he could see her in a pink ballerina costume. He smiled at the thought, but he quickly turned away from her as her eyes shifted from the view outside to him.

"Turning back, she just laughs, the boulevard is not that bad." Yeah, she makes everything seem not that bad. And her laughter. Dammit, I'm so stupid. I was lucky enough that she asked me to the Ball but now I have to go with Selena. What I wouldn't give to hear her laugh or see her smile. She looks sad again like before…before she used The Libra. I know for certain that this time, I made her sad.

"But oh how it feels so real, lying here with no one near. With only you and you can hear me. Well I said softly, slowly…hold me closer tiny dancer…" He looked over to her again, feeling the need to want to just stop the car on the side of the highway and pull her close to him. It was overwhelming, this need of his. But instead of doing what he wanted, he decided to change the station.

She glanced at him, annoyed at his actions, but then settled back singing to the new song, crossing her arms in the process. "Maybe I'm amazed at the way you're with me all the time, maybe I'm afraid of the way I leave you…"Li cursed the radio in his head. Like I don't feel guilty enough as it is, shutup! He punched the on/off button to the radio, letting Sakura sing by herself.

"Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need…"Sakura stopped mid-sentence and glared at Li. "I liked that song,"she muttered and turned the radio back on, although the song was over. "Dammit,"she grumbled and rolled down the window hoping to get some fresh air.

Li felt more horrible still. He had to do something about this and knowing Sakura, he would have to make the first move. As he turned the wheel to the right to get off the highway and head for Sakura's home, he turned off the radio. She didn't bother turning to him, she knew what was coming next.

"Sakura…"he started. No answer. "Sakura, can we talk?"He asked softly, trying to sound as sincere as possible. He couldn't go on feeling like this for much longer. It was just killing him. "I'm sorry,"he said, hoping for a response out of his best friend.

This got her attention. She turned to him, anger flaring in her eyes. "For which part?"

"There's more than one?"He asked, trying to be sincere. This, however, just pissed her off even more. "I thought this was just about Sele…"

"Don't even say her name, Li! I don't care if you go with her to the Ball. You could have told me sometime earlier! Ya know, I am your best friend. You can tell me things!" He decided that defending himself was not a good idea at this point. Let her talk and then he would. "But that's not what I'm really upset about!"He hated when she used that word. Upset. It meant so many more emotions than angry. An angry Sakura he could deal with, but not an upset one he wanted to hold. "You think I'm completely useless!"

Okay, it was his turn for his attention to be grabbed. "What?!"He yelled. "Where the hell did you get the notion that I thought you were useless?! Tell me where that came from!"

"Li! Every time a new card has showed itself you have to try to protect me like some war hero! I am the Mistress of The Clow Cards, Li! The strongest sorceress in Japan! I think I can handle a stupid card!" He opened his mouth, but she just turned to him more in her seat. She wasn't done yet. "I proved that today with The Sagittarius! You don't have to protect me all the time!"

His grip tightened on the wheel as he rebuttled. "Well, I'm sorry for giving a damn, Sakura! But if I wasn't there when you were capturing the cards now or before, you probably would have gotten hurt, or worse! You didn't know what the hell you were doing! Someone had to point you in the right direction!"

At this point, she wasn't angry, just hurt. Hurt that he could say these things so freely to her without much of a reaction otherwise being angry. "That's it,"she said quietly and then unbuckled her seatbelt.

He noticed the clicking noise and turned to her, "Sakura, what do you think you're doing?"

"I'd rather walk home then sit here and take this shit from you, Li! You'd never know that I was your best friend back there. That you loved me or whatever it is…"she trailed off, just murmuring to herself. Sakura opened the car door as Li pulled up to the stop sign, only a few blocks away from her house.

"Sakura!"He called out after her as she shut the door behind her, then walking around the corner of a house. Li took the right turn onto the street and then stopped a few feet from where Sakura was walking. "Sakura!"He called again, getting out of his car and running in front of her. "Sakura please! I'm sorry!"She didn't acknowledge him, continuing to walk past him. "Sakura, will you stop for a minute!" He yelled, grabbing her wrist. "Please,"he choked out, pleading to her. She turned her face towards him, and then took a few steps in his direction. "You're not useless, Sakura. I never thought you were. You could always handle yourself perfectly fine. Even when you were sick,"he said softly, remembering the episode with The Cloud Card. "Well, almost when you're sick,"he said, smiling. She smiled a little too. "I'm sorry."

She stood there, the wind blowing through her hair, sending chills up her spine. "I know,"she said, looking up at him. "I know you are,"she repeated, resting her body against his. "I don't want to fight anymore, Li. We did last night…and last week…it was four days before I talked to you again…why do you put up with this?"

Hearing this from her, he wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek on the side of her head. "There you go again, talking nonsense." He could feel a little laughter coming from his chest and he smiled. "But in all seriousness, I don't put up with anything. So we bicker once in a while? Everyone does. The important thing, is that we always find each other in the end, right?" When he didn't feel a response, he hugged her tighter, "Even if the whole world was against you, I'd still love you."

She smiled into his chest as she softly kissed it, hoping he didn't feel it. She couldn't have stopped herself if she wanted to. Sakura loved him deeply and wasn't about to stop herself from showing it. Even if it was just a little act for herself. 

He couldn't help to laugh as he asked, "Sakura, did you just kiss my chest?"

She took in a sharp intake of breath and blushed a little. Moving away from him, she hit him playfully, "No!" She said, like it was obvious. "You're delusional, Li,"she said, stepping back into the car. He stood there still, watching her and laughing. So she did kiss my chest. What a little sneak…but, I wonder why she did it? Maybe it was an accident.

Li chuckled softly as he headed back to the car door.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sakura grabbed the bag from the backseat of Li's car and followed him to her front door. I can't believe I kissed his chest, she thought. What struck me to think that was a good idea? Jesus, I'm stupid. She sighed lightly as she fumbled with the keys to open the door. Li saw her struggling with the bag and keys and took the dress bag from her arms. "Oh, uh…thanks, Li." He nodded in response then mumbled something as she finally opened the door. Upon stepping in, her senses were suddenly being assaulted by something oddly familiar…

"I thought I told Kero not to cook while I was gone,"she said, throwing her keys on the coffee table and walking towards the kitchen, preparing to give her guardian beast a mouthful.

"Stupid stuffed animal,"Li said to himself as he sat on the couch, waiting for Sakura to start yelling. And then it started, but not the words he was hoping to hear…

"AHHH!!!"He heard her scream and then he saw something coming towards him out of the corner of his eye. Sakura jumped over the couch, grabbing his hand in the process and running towards the door.

"Sakura what…"Li started, hoping to figure out the urgent urgency. Sakura tried to get to the door in time, but it wasn't fast enough.

"Stop right there!" Sakura turned around first, looking towards the finger pointing at her. She backed up a little, getting as close to Li as possible, if only to act as a human barrier.

Li turned around a few seconds after he felt Sakura's back to his, their hands still entwined. "Oh shit…"he grumbled under his breath.

"Oh shit is right! What are you doing with my sister, Gaki?" Tori said, taking a few steps forward. He almost laughed watching his sister trying to protect Li, practically Tori's height. Yeah, almost. "Are you going to answer me or cower behind Sakura?"

"Tori, stop it!"Sakura pleaded with her brother.

"I finally come back from college for a nice break and this gaki is with my little monster!"He yelled in frustration. 

"I am NOT a monster anymore than Li is a gaki! And it's none of your damn business what Li's doing with me!" She yelled, tightening her grip on Li's hand. "So back off Tori! I'm not a little kid anymore!" Tori took a step back, not expecting this kind of reaction from his little sister. "After all these years, why can't you except that Li is my friend? I love him more than anything in this fucking world!" She covered her mouth suddenly, but did not loosen her grip on Li. Not for a second. As soon as she saw the flushed look on Tori's face, she started to uncover her mouth. "Tori,"she started, walking towards him, but not releasing Li's hand. "Li's my best friend. So just…deal with it. Please."

Tori crossed his arms and closed his eyes, trying to not only deal with this but also the massive headache that was forming. "Fine,"he said, opening his eyes. "But I swear to God, if he does anything to you I'll snap his neck…" Sakura let go of Li's hand finally and jumped at Tori, hugging him.

"Thank you."

He reluctantly hugged back, not to pleased with what was going on. "Yeah, whatever…monster." Sakura let go of her brother and ran up her stairs, leaving her brother and best friend behind.

Tori took his eyes off the stairs and focused them on Li, with Li returning the same intensity. "So…you and my sister are best friends?"

"Yeah, we are."

Silence.

"So uh, what kind of car do you drive?"

"A beamer."

Tori's eyes went wide, "Oh, really? That's too nice of a car for someone like you,"he said, turning around and leaving. I still don't have to be nice to him, he thought.

"Hmm…hey, Tori,"Li said. He turned around with his arms crossed. "How many jobs have you had in the last week?" Tori started to approach Li to start a fight, but his sister came downstairs.

Sakura's brother stared at the large duffle bag on his sister's shoulders and then turned to her to start the interrogation. "And where are you going tonight?"

"I'm going to Madison's tonight,"she stated. And when her brother gave her a skeptical look she added, "Li's dropping me off there on the way to his house." Tori raised an eyebrow at that and she sighed. "God, Tori, I have a field hockey game tomorrow too, okay? Does that satisfy you?" Tori just did an about hace and walked towards the kitchen, mumbling something neither two could hear.

Sakura motioned for Li to wait by the door while she ran to the kitchen to chase after after Tori. She ran up to him and hugged him from behind. "Thank you Tori. I love you."

"I love you too Sakura." They both smiled as she released him to go join Li in the family room.

"Oh! By the way!"She said, stopping at the entrance to the kitchen. "I met Megumi at the mall today. Ya know, from your school, Tori." But before Tori could answer her, she ran towards Li.

Li looked to Sakura as she ran towards him, "You never told me you had a field hockey game tomorrow."

"Yeah, well you never told me you were going with Selena,"she said with a smile. "So now we're even, kay?" She smiled again, walking past him to the door, grabbing her keys on the way and shoving them into her bag.

"I don't think so!"Li said, running up to her and wrapping his arm aroung her throat, pretending to choke her. He laughed as she tried to elbow him in the gut.

"Hey! Cut it out!"She yelled as she freed herself from his grasp and jumped onto his back, messing up his hair. They both laughed some more as they headed towards his car, with him carrying her bag.

"So why do you have a game tomorrow?"Li asked. "Isn't it vacation?"

"Well, yeah,"she said matter-of-factly. "But just because it's vacation doesn't mean that we stop having games. And if I remember correctly you have a soccer game tomorrow as well."

"Oh, yeah,"he said remembering.

"We're probably even riding in the same bus over there,"she said, smiling. Bus rides were always fun with sports teams. Most of her friends were on them since most of them were cheerleaders. She was a cheerleader as well but had been playing field hockey right after Li left for Hong Kong back in elementary school. It was hard juggling two activities, but she managed…one way or another. "How can you be so forgetful?

"I don't know. It's like asking you why you're so dense." He said before receiving a kick to his leg.

"Hey!"

Inside, Tori was watching them leave through the window, trying not to be spotted. Not that it mattered, they were so wrapped up in each other, they wouldn't have noticed. "Those two…are inseperable,"he muttered, and then walked towards the kitchen to clean up his mess before Julian would come over. "I guess I shouldn't have yelled at her like that. I mean it's not that I don't like Li…it's just…"he said, letting the bowl he was cleaning drop to the floor. "I'm afraid he's going to take her away from me. Because…she's in love." He picked the bowl up from the floor and rinsed it off as he started to remember something she said to him earlier. "Megumi…I don't know any Megumis at my school."

"Li, where are you going?"Sakura asked him. They were in his car, listening to his CD, still laughing until Sakura looked around and asked him.

"I'm taking you to Madison's house,"he looked at her, her eyebrows were risen and her arms crossed. Must be a sibling thing, he thought. "Aren't I? Taking you to Madison's? Right?"

"Well, I thought we were going to continue researching at your house. I mean it's up to you…whatever is better for you…"

He put on his directional and took the next street on the left, carefully avoiding a fender bender with the car behind him for stopping so fast. "It must have slipped my mind,"he said, trying to cover what he was really feeling: Love. She's coming to my house tonight again, he thought. His heart raced at the thought of telling her how he felt. How would she respond? Would she feel the same or reject him? At the thought of rejection, his heart sank. I'll know when the time comes, he thought, looking over to her.

"Besides,"she continued. "Now that Tori's home, I don't think it would be such a good idea if you slept over my house."

Li thought of the look on Tori's face if he caught himself and Sakura sitting on a bed together, or when Li drew Sakura…or if Li was kissing her. He smiled to himself, "Yeah, good point."

They arrived at his house shortly after and went inside, preparing for a night of researching with some of the books that Sakura's father had kept away in his basement. They sat in his room, the easel still up from the night before, flipping through more books.

"So whatever happened to Kero and Yue?"Li asked, looking up from the book he had just started to look into.

Sakura didn't even look up from her book as she talked to him, "I don't know. They weren't in my room when I got my stuff. Julian's still at the university in Tokyo so Kero had to fly there, revive him and then come back." She flipped through a few pages as Li watched her. "Maybe we can talk to them tonight."

"Yeah, hopefully,"Li said to her, then going back to looking through his book. It stayed like this for another hour. It was already dinnertime when Li looked at his watch. "Are you hungry, Sakura?"

She flipped through the last page of her book and finally closed it, throwing it into the pile of 'no answers' on the floor next to Li's bed. "Yeah. I could eat enough food to feed a small army?"

"Well how about two soldiers?"He said smiling, reaching for his phone and phone book. "Is pizza okay with you?" He asked as she reached for another book from beside her.

"Yeah, sounds great."

As he looked up the number he asked, "What do you want for toppings?"

"Um…just extra cheese. Okay with you?"

"Yeah,"Li said, dialing the number and putting the phone to his ear. "My stomach won't agree with anything else right now."

"Stomach ache?"She asked, with sympathy in her eyes.

"Yeah."

She put her hand on his leg, "Want some medicine?" He nodded as he the person at the pizza place answered the phone. "Okay," she said, reading her book still as she headed towards the bathroom for some medicine.

Li gave the order to the man and then hung up the phone on his nightstand. He sat on his bed for a moment before letting gravity take over as he fell backwards onto the mattress. "The pizza will be here in a half an hour, okay Sakura?!"He yelled to her. When he didn't get a response he asked again. "Sakura?! Did you hear me?!…I guess not,"he said to himself as he got up from his bed and walked towards the bathroom door, which was wide open. "Sakura, the pizza will be…Sakura?" He said softly, looking at the tears streaming down her face. "Sakura, what's wrong?"He asked, going to her side.

Sakura looked to him from the book, which now had a few tear droplets on it. She was sitting on the toilet and he was in front of her, concern written all over his face. "It's my mom,"she said quietly.

"What about her?"He asked, taking her hands in his. "What about your mom?"

Sakura looked down to the book and recited from it. "September 14, 1846. Our research has ended in complete failure. Although we were not able to find the constellations set in cards, we were able to discover more about their origin. Their first purpose was to revive Clow Reed, a famous sorcerer of Japan, it has been over five hundred years since they were created, and therefore I feel as if their magic is not strong enough to revive such a powerful human being such as Clow. Upon completing the puzzle however, the power would be released to bring a person back from the dead of relation to the one who succeeded in finding the constellations, solving the puzzle and passing the concluding trial. But only if all the cards are in that person's possession may they bring back a loved one. Although Clow Reed can no longer be revived into this world, someone reaching an untimely death can. God save us all."

Li could feel his own tears forming. "Oh, Sakura,"he said, squeezing her hands for support.

"I could bring my mom back,"she said with such strength and heart. His hands slid up her arms as she started to sob uncontrolably, and he pulled himself to her, taking her within his arms.

"Sakura, that's so great. I'm so happy for you."

She pulled back a little, her face completely wet from her tears. "Then do you think it's possible? I could bring my mom back?"

He nodded, a few tears escaping his eyes as well. Smiling, he wiped away her tears, "Of course we'll have to talk with Keroberos and Yue about it but…if that book says it's possible, then I suppose it is."

She smiled to him, wiping away his tears this time. "Oh, Li. My dad would be so happy. He's still in love with my mother, even though it's been over fifteen years since her death. It would be like reuniting true love. And…I would love to see her again."

"I know you would,"he said, pulling her into his lap as they held onto each other, thinking of the miracle before them only Sakura could grant.

"After she first died, I made sure that I smelled her pillows where she used to lay, every night before I went to bed. I could hear her laughter in my head, but now…I don't even remember what she sounds like anymore. Sometimes, I have to really concentrate, close my eyes as hard as I can until it hurts…just to remember what her face looks like. I can't…I don't want to do that anymore. I don't want the only thing she left behind to be the picture in the dining room."

"That's not true, Sakura,"Li said, running his fingers through her hair. "She left a little girl behind, that grew up to be an absolutely amazing young woman. I bet your father can see that."

She started crying even more. "I just miss her so much. I want her to teach me how to tie a tie…I want her to yell at me when I do something wrong…I want her to be there when I get married…and to think this all may be possible now…"

Li kissed the top of her head before whispering, "What would be the first thing you would say to her?"  
She thought for a moment as she felt Li tighten his hold on her, "I would ask her why it took so long…"They both laughed for a moment before she continued, "No…I would tell her that I love her."

Okay! That's the end of that chapter! I know it's a little short, but something told me to leave it that way. I'm sorry that it took me so long to put the next chapter out, but I think it was well worth it in the end. Anyways, now that I'm back in writing mode, you're gonna see more chapters more often. And as always, review!!!


	7. The Absence Of Nothing

Author's Note-Okay, so the last chapter was a quickie, I hope you liked it anyways

Author's Note-Okay, so the last chapter was a quickie, I hope you liked it anyways.Well, I've had some new revelations about the story so I'm in writing mode! Hope you enjoy and as always R+R!

Disclaimer: No! I don't own CCS…I don't understand how anyone could get that mixed up.

Chapter Seven: The Absence Of Nothing

Li woke up in a daze. His head aching from the sleep, or lack thereof from the night before. He tried to put his hand to his head to feel for a fever, but found that his hand and his whole arm were stuck. The blankets that were covered up to his chin were lifted with his free hand as he threw the covering over his head so that he was inside a green tent. "Sakura,"he gasped as he saw her lying next to him. And with that, all the memories came flowing back into his head…

He remembered her crying in his bathroom with the possibility of bringing back her mother. He remembered how he let her cry into his arms and how she poured her heart out to him. He remembered how his stomach was a breeding ground for little pink and green butterflies as he kissed her head. And he remembered how he loved it.

After the pizza had came, so did Kero, one very exhausted guardian beast. He had flown all the way to Tokyo looking for Julian, but he wasn't there. Julian was residing at Sakura's house with her brother Tori and so it was thought of that last night would not be the best time to call forth Yue. That would have to wait until after the game. The game, Li thought. Oh yeah, Sakura has a field hockey game and I have a soccer one. But how did she end up in my arms? In my bed? Her hand on my chest?

He took a deep breath, and with it, her scent and the memory of the late last night. She had been crying again about her mother and the new cards. She felt so helpless and frustrated for some reason. Was it Selena? Or Megumi? He had rocked her to sleep and soon enough he had to give way as well.

Li smiled at her and kissed her forehead softly, not wanting to stir her. "You're so adorable when you're sleeping, Sakura…Ying-fa…hmmm,"he hummed, smoothing away the hair from her face and tracing her hairline. After becoming satisfied from the feeling in his body, he lifted the covers slowly and looked out the window. "What a beautiful day for a game,"he said to himself. Oh, right…the game. Hmmm, I wonder what time it starts… "11:49…SHIT!"

Li jumped out of bed, not thinking as he pulled his arm from under her like the tablecloth trick. Unfortunately, the china fell on the floor. "Li?"Sakura mumbled sleepily, "What's going on? Why am I…"

"Sakura! Grab your gear and let's go! The bus leaves school in ten minutes!"

"What bus? What are you…Shit! The game!"She practically screamed as she stood up from the floor and ran out of the bedroom door to grab her bag with her uniform and field hockey stick. "Why didn't you set your alarm?!"

"I don't know! It wasn't the first thing on my mind last night!" He yelled to her…you were, Sakura. You always are. "I guess sleeping with you just causes us both to be late! I think you're cursed, Sakura!"

Li had been listening to her feet running around his house trying to get all her stuff in order, but it had stopped for a second and then started up again, coming closer. "We slept together?"She asked. Her face bore the look of bewilderment, but slowly it turned red. "Um…oh, that…right. It's okay, though. I mean, you're my best friend. And a great one at that. Thanks for everything, Li. I mean that."

"It's no problem, Sakura. You know I'd do anything for you,"he said as he grabbed his cleats and stuffed them into his bag before zipping it up and grabbing her hand. "Now c'mon! We only have five minutes now!"

"Because you didn't set your alarm!"She yelled as he opened the door for her.

"Yeah, whatever, Sakura!" He yelled back as he shut the door, locked it and followed her to his car. "You're just unlucky."

She stopped in her tracks and waited for him to approach her. "I'm not unlucky!"Sakura started to punch softly at his stomach, which was solid from his training, but he just laughed at her attempts and wrapped his arm around her back.

"Of course you're not unlucky,"he said sincerely, taking her bag from her hands and throwing it into the car. "But if we don't leave now, our coaches are going to say otherwise."

"Okay,"she said, lingering in the comfort of his arm for another moment before stepping away to her side of the car. He's right, though, she thought. I'm not unlucky. I'm so grateful for him. He's so amazing…I just wish I would have realized it sooner, before…before Selena. I think he still loves her.

"Why the long face?"

"Huh? What? Oh…um, no reason. Just really tired. I hope I can play to my best today,"she said, covering her feelings up as well as she could. He didn't notice.

"You'll do fine,"he reassured as he started the car and backed out of his driveway. "You're the captain after all. Remember? Or did you forget?"

"I remember just fine!"She said, shoving him playfully. Sakura laughed as she looked out the window as Li speeded towards the school. Okay, let's change the subject, she thought. "So what are you going to wear?"

"Um, my soccer uniform,"he said, shifting gears. "Boy, I used to believe that there are no such things as stupid questions but…"

"No! I didn't mean to the game Li!"She said, shoving him again. "I meant to the Ball."

"Oh,"he said uncomfortably. "Um…I rented a tux from the mall a few weeks ago with Selena. I didn't remember it being so formal last time."

"And you say I'm forgetful! You're the one that called me three hours before the Ball last year and begged me to go tux shopping with you. Well at least you're prepared this year."

"Yeah, I'm great like that,"he said sarcastically, which caused a little laughter from the both of them. "So, uh…are you going to go with anybody?"

"To the ball? Um…"She looked in front of her and could see the school in the distance, the Coach bus was being loaded with kids and their duffle bags. "I don't think so. I think I'm just going to go stag, but you never know."

He wasn't comfortable with Sakura going with anybody else. Anybody except for him. "Um, Sakura?" She looked over to him, accepting his question without having to say a word. She didn't need to. "Promise me that you'll save the last dance for me."

She smiled and put her hand over his, just for a moment. "Of course, Li." It always was vacant for you. All you had to do was ask. He took his hand off of hers and smiled as he pulled into a parking space at the school, shoving his keys into his pockets as he jumped out of his car. She did the same, grabbing both of their bags on the way out.

"Sakura,"he said as she approached him with his bag. "Thank you. I just wish it-."

"Hey you two!"They turned to see Zachary yelling out the window. "Stop making out and get on the bus! You may be the captains, but you're holding us behind!"

"Making out?!"Sakura yelled back. "Why not?! Li is such a hottie!"

Li played along, putting his arm around her shoulder and leaned in close to her as he yelled to Zachary. "And Sakura is the sexiest woman alive! Be a good friend and leave us be!" They all broke out into laughter, including most of the people on the bus. Sakura and Li blushed a little as they walked onto the bus, Li placing his hand on the small of her back to assist her. Both the soccer and field hockey teams roared with laughter and comments as they made their way to the back, their usual seat. It was the only one that Sakura could sit in the middle of her two best friends. In front of them was Zachary and Chelsea and diagonal from them was Nikki and Rita. Those three girls were only there for support and Madison was recording for the video yearbook…among other reasons.

"It's about time you guys got here,"Chelsea said, turning around in her seat to face them, as did the rest of the gang. "We started to worry you wouldn't show."

"Li? Not show? I doubt that! He's never missed one single practice! Well, before last Friday anyways." Zachary said, nudging his friend. Li smiled and then continued talking to his friend while Madison turned to her friend.  
"So what's going on?"Madison asked, smiling at her friend.

"What are you talking about, Madison?"Sakura asked. They jolted slightly in their seats as the bus took off for the three and a half hour drive to Tokyo, the place where the championship games would be held. Only the Varsity Boys' Soccer and Girl's Field Hockey teams had made it this far.

"Don't play games with your best friend, Sakura." Upon receiving a quizzical look from her 'best friend', Madison implored further. "I called your house last night and your brother said that you were at my house. Luckily it was right after you left so I made some excuse up…asking if you were 'on your way'." Madison smiled. "Now, remind me why I had to make up an excuse?"

Sakura looked over to Li, who was now sitting next to Zachary. Chelsea had moved in front of Nikki and Rita, talking about the upcoming Ball. "I slept over Li's house last night."

"Again? Ohohoho….really? So what were you guys doing? Researching about the new cards, I'm sure,"Madison said sarcastically.

Sakura rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "No, Madison. It's not what you think,"she reassured, then scooted a little closer to her best friend. "I might be able to bring my mom back."

"What? But…how?"Madison asked, trying not to raise her voice.

"It's a long story but…if I collect the rest of the cards and pass a test, then I can bring her back…permanently." Madison smiled and hugged her friend.

"That's absolutely wonderful, Sakura!" Madison exclaimed, but then released her. "How many more cards do you have to capture?"

Sakura sat back in her seat and thought about which ones she already had caught. She already had The Libra, The Aquarius and The Sagittarius. "Nine more,"she said sadly.

"Well it's nothing compared to fifty-two."

"Fifty-three, Madison. Don't forget about the Hope Card,"Sakura reminded her friend. Madison nodded in agreement and sat back in her seat as well. "I can see my dad still misses her. Especially during important dates like birthdays and such."

"You all miss her, Sakura. I know it's been over a decade but…you all still love her very much." Madison put her hand over her friends and smiled. "Plus I'm sure she'd like to meet your best friend."

"Madison! She already knows you. After all our moms are cousins so why…"

Madison shook her head from side to side and looked to the seat in front of her. "I meant Li, Sakura,"she said, turning her head back to look at her. "I'm sure your mom would adore him."

Sakura smiled and squeezed her friend's hand. "Yeah, I know she would. Li's a wonderful guy. I don't know what I'd do without him." Madison smiled at the look Sakura was getting on her face. She decided to change the subject.

"So, what happened last night, Sakura? AND the night before? Don't skip the details either! I know you better than that!"Madison chided, leaning in closer to Sakura so that she could hear, but Li could not.

"Oh, Madison,"Sakura sighed, but in a happy way, as she started to talk about the events of the past two nights. It was over two hours later before Sakura finished her story. Between Madison interrupting and the half an hour bathroom break they took, it was taking forever to finish her story. Plus Madison wanted all the details, as usual. "And that was when I woke up…"she added the next part quietly, looking away to not make it a big deal… "in Li's bed…"

"Where, Sakura? I can't hear you,"Madison stated, smiling as she cupped her ear.

"I said I woke up in Li's bed, okay?"

"Ohohoho!"Madison said, causing Sakura to blush a few shades. "And did Li happen to be in the bed as well?"

"Um…yeah,"she said, giving out the information hesitantly. She would never hear the end of it but oh well. Madison would kill her if she never found out anyways. Better to be safe then…well, it's just better to be safe.

"Really? Oh, Sakura. You have got to be joking!"Madison said, turning away and facing the window. Her arms crossing in the process.

"No, Madison! I really did wake up…"

"That's not what I meant Sakura,"she said, looking back at her friend. "You can't tell me that story again without admitting that you don't have feelings for him. You love him, don't you?"

"God, Madison. That's really silly…"

"Sakura, that's bullshit,"she said, lowering her voice and grabbing her friend's hand. "With the conversations you told me about, the painting, the hugging, the 'I love you's' for Chris sakes! You probably don't even realize he's been checking back on you every fifteen minutes or so."

"He's what?"Sakura asked. Nope, she didn't realize it.

"The point is, you both love each other. It's so obvious. Everyone can see it, except for the both of you,"Madison's face expression changed to one of almost annoyance to that of love and caring. "Why haven't you told him?" Sakura's eyes started to water slightly and she tried not to blink. No tears this time. No one could fool Madison though. "Sakura…"

"He still loves her, Madison,"she stated, her voice a little shaky.

"Who? Selena?"Sakua nodded in response. "I really don't think so."

"Then why isn't he going to the Ball with me? If he loves me so much?"Sakura slowly fell into her best friend's arms. Madison hugged her friend as she tried to explain the situation the best she could.

"You know Li is a perfect gentlemen. Well, not perfect,"she laughed. Sakura did as well. "But he's not going to break his promise.He's not like that and you know it. I'm sure he'd rather be going with you. And he promised you the last dance didn't he? That's the most important one, Sakura. And he wants it with you." Madison smiled and then added something else. "Besides, the way you both looked at each other outside of the bus this morning. That flirting had hidden meanings, Sakura."

Sakura was silent for a moment before she took a deep breath. "This changes everything between us. Li and I. Nothing will ever be the same if we were to be…together."

"Things won't change that much, Sakura. You'll still hang out all the time and be the best of friends…just more kissing and the like,"Madison watched her friend smile and curl up more into her arms. "But don't worry about that now. You love him, right?"

"Yes,"Sakura stared to the seat in front of her, watching Li and Zachary talk. "Very much."

"He feels the same, Sakura. Just wait until after the Ball and he'll be free. And then you can be together with your love." They both smiled as Sakura rose from her friend's lap.

"Then I can't wait." They hugged again as Li sat down next to Sakura, tapping her back. She let go of Madison and turned to him. "Yes?"

"And where's my hug?"He asked, trying to sound like he was jealous.

"Come here,"Sakura said as they leaned in towards each other and embraced. Not even noticing Madison sneaking out of her seat and going to sit next to Zachary. After a few moments they released each other. "So what did you and Zach talk about?"She asked, turning around in her seat so that her head was on his lap. They always did this but it had more meaning than usual. More feeling in the pit of her stomach. In his.

"Nothing much,"he lied. He remembered their conversation…

_"So, what's with you and Sakura anyways?"Zachary asked, holding a soccer ball in his hands, tossing it up to himself every once in a while._

_"What do you mean, Zach? You know she's my best friend." Li said smiling._

_"Oh. And you expect me to believe that story? I thought you could do better than that." Zachary laughed to himself as he watched Li looking back to check on Sakura. Zachary punched his friend in the arm. "Li, you're so full of it."_

_"What?"_

_"She obviously has feelings for you. She has for a while ya know. I don't know what you were thinking when you went with Selena."_

_"Well maybe I didn't feel like waiting forever, Zach!" He lowered his voice to barely a whisper. "Of course I love her. I love her more than anything but it's like…Selena was there and she had just broken up with Laszlo. Sakura and I had just gotten in a big fight and I kissed her. It's not like I didn't want to be with Sakura but…I couldn't wait forever for her to realize that she did or didn't love me. Ya know?"_

_"Yeah I do,"Zachary said sadly, looking over to Chelsea. "But Chelsea…she's great for me. I love her so much. You know that. You deserve to be happy, Li. For once in your life take a chance and go for it. Just keep stepping it up a level, ya know?"_

_"Like what?"Li asked, moving in closer so Sakura and Madison couldn't hear them._

_"I don't know. Flirt with her more…spend more time together. Whatever. You'll know when to tell her, I promise,"Zachary said and then smiled. "Just don't screw it up, okay?"_

_"Yeah well…I think I might have already,"Li said sadly._

_"Oh Jesus…what did you do, Li?"Zachary asked, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes._

_"Nothing really…Sakura asked me to the Ball and I had to turn her down…"_

_"Yeah, you are right. You did screw up you freakin' moron…"Zachary muttered._

_"But it's only because I promised Selena when we were still together. You know I would much rather go with Sakura, Zach."_

_"Yeah, well…that's one strike, man,"Zach said, showing him his index finger. "Hey, wait…I have a great idea!" Zach leaned in to his friend's ear, whispering his plan…_

__"Yeah, we just talked about the game and whatnot,"Li said, getting back to reality. "So, uh…what did you and Madison have to say."

"Not much…just about the game. And I told her about my mother."Sakura said as Li started to play with her hair. "Mmmm….that feels so nice, Li."

He smiled to himself as the coach of the boys team stood up and quieted everyone down. Sakura sat up to listen. "Alright everyone! Here's the plan for tonight,"he started. "Now, we should arrive at the university in about fifteen minutes or so. Once we get there, the boys will go and change 'cuz their game is first. That's at 4:00. After that there will be a two hour break for dinner where you can roam around the campus grounds and walk around near there, BUT…you must be back by 8:00 when the girls will play their game under the lights at 8:30. We should probably be heading back around 10, 10:30 and get home around 1:30, 2. Is that understood?"A bunch of yeses and nods were seen and heard as the coach waited to move on. "Good. Now I want you on your best behavior tonight. It's the championship game and we are their guests. Now with that said…good luck."

Sakura turned back to Li to lie down on his lap again, his hands automatically going to her hair. "Yeah, you better keep touching my hair, Li,"she said sarcastically with a smile.

"Oh! And what if I don't? Are you going to beat me, babe?"

"Maybe, hon,"she said, using a pet name for him. Why did he call me babe? She wondered. It was a little odd but she didn't mind. It was nice…made her feel like she was his girlfriend…maybe Madison was right. Maybe he wanted to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him. Maybe.

He laughed a little and then let it subside into a smile, now massaging her scalp slowly. She called me hon, he said to himself. I hope Zachary's right about this, he told himself as he spoke to her. "Sakura?"

"Yes…hon?"They both smiled a little as he continued.

"Well, since coach gave us two hours for dinner…I was wondering if you would like to come with me. I know this great little Italian restaurant that you would absolutely love."

She opened her eyes and looked into his, looking at her. "I would love to, Li,"she said, starting to sit up. "Do you want to ask the rest of the gang if they want to go?"

"No,"he said, pulling her back down to his lap so he could continue massaging her scalp. "Just us."

"Okay,"she said, smiling. "So, what's the special occasion?"

"Well,"he started, smirking. "No reason, I guess. But we can celebrate my team winning."

"You sound confident,"she remarked, turning over so he could massage her back and shoulders now. He laughed at their need of no communication. They knew exactly what was going to happen next. Sometimes, words were never needed.

"Well, I would like to win. It would be nice. But, no matter what, we're still going out…okay?"He said, kneading her lower back, his eyes trailing to look over her whole body. She's absolutely beautiful, he thought. How I would like to touch every inch of her.

The bus pulled into the university parking lot just then and Sakura got up in response. No, Li thought. His body ached to be close to hers again and unconsciously he pulled her close to him. He just couldn't help it. She melted into his arms and then slowly pulled back, their faces only about an inch apart. Nervously and not really sure what she was doing, she leaned in and gave him a soft, gentle but quick kiss on the lips. Trying to make it seem like a friendly gesture, even though it was out of the love she felt for him.

"What was that for?"He whispered to her.

"I just wanted to thank you, I guess. I really don't know." They kept looking at each other, so close that they could feel each other's breath on their faces. The two were unaware of the commotion going on as people got up from their seats and grabbed their bags from the overhead compartments. They just continued to sit there, in each other's arms, searching each other's faces for an answer of why she just kissed him. "Li…"

"Sakura…God I don't know…are you feeling this?"He said in a voice barely above a whisper.

She nodded slowly and went to lean in closer but was interrupted by the coach yelling at everyone to get off the bus. They forced the separation and got their stuff, never once keeping their eyes off of each other. Everyone was so busy doing their own thing that no one noticed them wrapped up in each other.

The two teams and other people on the bus got off and started to split boys and girls. The boys started to leave for the locker room and the girls went to sit in the stands. Sakura and Li met each other again as soon as they got off the bus and they dropped their bags, embracing each other. "I'll be watching you, Li. Good luck."

He held her close, rocking her, as if he was seeing her for the last time…for the first time. "Thank you, Sakura because this game is for you. And I'll…I don't know why…but I'm gonna miss you."

She smiled in his arms, "I'm gonna miss you too,"she said, releasing him slowly. "You better catch up before your coach gets mad."

"Yeah, okay,"he said agreeing. He kissed her softly on the forehead, then rested his head against hers, embracing her one more time. Everything seemed to be moving quickly. Feelings were being understood finally. They both knew that the other was experiencing more than just friendship. But so many doubts were running through their minds. What if it was just a kiss and only that? "We need to talk afterwards."

She pulled away and nodded slowly to him. After a moment she heard Madison calling her name. She left him and he left her, parting their separate ways: Sakura to Madison and the rest of the girls to get a good seat in the stands and Li with his team off to the locker room.

Both of them were smiling furiously as they made their way to their respected areas. Zachary seemed quite interested. "What happened to you?" He asked, smiling as well.

Li opened his mouth but was interrupted by the coach. "Okay boys, listen up! I'm going to the field now and until I see you again, your captain is in charge. Understood?" The boys nodded their heads and responded verbally as well. "Okay, then. I'll see you on the field." The coach left and everyone started pouring into the boys changing room.

"Okay!"Li started, getting their attention. "You got fifteen minutes to get everything together. Let's go!" He commanded to them as the boys started to unzip their bags and undress. Li picked a bench near the back of the room as he started to change out of his clothing and put on his soccer uniform. He heard a sound next to him and turned to see Zach putting his stuff next to Li's. He too started to change, but had a strange smile on his face.

"You don't have to say anything,"Zach started, putting on his soccer jersey. "I saw what happened between the two of you, Li. You may have thought that no one was watching, but I was." Li looked at him and smiled, not saying anything. "So what now? Are you going to tell her? C'mon, man! Don't leave me hanging!"

Li put on his socks and shin guards, "Do you always have to ask so many questions, Zach?"

"Li, I've been your best friend since the third grade so don't give me that bullshit. So tell me, what's going on?"

Sakura sat next to Madison on the bleachers, sitting on the second section up. It was the best seats they could get but they were good enough, she could still see her guy play. She started to move her legs impatiently. She wanted to see him play because this game was for HER. "Sakura? Hey, Sakura!"

"What?"She said, turning her face towards her friend, not stopping her legs until Madison forced her to stop. "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess that must have been a little annoying,"she said, blushing.

"No, that's not it. What happened between you and Li? And don't think I didn't see that kiss." Sakura started to shrug her shoulders and was about to say something to the extent of 'I don't know what you mean,' or 'whatever are you talking about?' but that was all stopped. "And don't think you can get out of this one because I got it all on tape,"she said, pulling out her camcorder. "So how about telling me what happened?"

"Madison, it's not that easy because I don't really know,"she said, pulling on her sweatshirt with Reedington High School scrawled on the back with the words, 'Field Hockey' and two crossed field hockey sticks. Her name was on one sleeve and her number, 25 underneath it. Li had given it to her for Christmas and she had given him an identical one for soccer but with his number, 38 on it. She put her hands in her pouch and smiled softly. "Whatever it is though, I think he feels the same. Madison,"she said, turning to her best friend. "You don't kiss your friends like that. This was…different. He says he wants to talk to me about it afterwards. But I think…"Sakura's words were cut off my screams and people standing up all around her. She quickly jumped onto the bench and looked out onto the field to see the West Tokyo High team come out onto the field.

She scanned the field for Li and his team but couldn't find anything until she looked to the left, "There he is! LI!" She called, hoping he would hear her. Even though he did not, he looked up into the stands and saw her waving to catch his attention. He waved back shyly and blew her a kiss. Madison grabbed her camera and started recording the whole thing.

"Li is such a great guy, Sakura. I hope you guys finally get together. He would be an absolutely wonderful boyfriend."

Sakura smiled to herself as everyone started to sit down, as the game was about to begin any moment. "He sure would,"she replied.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The game had been running smoothly, each team had not scored a goal even though Li had come so close. The game was tied and the players were already in the second half with only about ten minutes left on the clock. Overtime was not an option for Li. That would mean less time with Sakura. Less time to tell her the things he had been longing to say. And tonight was no exception. After that kiss, his energy level had skyrocketed and he had been in for most of the game and didn't seem winded at all. He just couldn't wait to finish the game. Of course winning it for Sakura as well.

They were walking back onto the field after calling a time. "So, Mr.Ball Of Energy,"Zachary started walking next to his friend. "Can you be any more wanting to end this game?"

Li looked to his friend and sighed, walking to his position on the field. "It's not like that, Zach. I just want to see her so badly."

"I understand, man. I've been with Chelsea forever and I still get like that,"he said and then left Li to get to his position in the back.

Sakura watched in the stands as the other team juggled with the ball, trying to get past the hard defense her school was putting up. "This is so nerve-wrecking,"she said. "There's less than three minutes on the clock before we go into overtime."

"Oh look at that! Did you see that! Zachary just blocked that with his head! He's so talented!"Chelsea said from behind Madison and Sakura. They all averted their attention to the field and sure enough Zachary was certainly happy yet very concentrated as he passed the ball off to another player.

"So what's going on?"Sakura perked up at that voice. She could feel the tone in it waver around her trying to sting her. She turned slowly. "Megumi,"she said under her breath.

"I hope I didn't miss much,"she said, sitting next to Chelsea.

"You're finally here!"Chelsea said, hugging her. "This game's been so intense!" Chelsea started the introductions to the rest of her friends but Sakura couldn't stop looking at Megumi. Something wasn't right about her. She definitely had felt some sort of strong energy the last time. She still couldn't tell if it was positive or not, but it definitely was overwhelming.

Madison tapped her friend on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper. "So that's the girl you told me about?"Madison asked. Sakura nodded slowly. "She seems normal to me. Maybe she's just got a really strong aura. She could be like your brother after all. Ya know, be able to see spirits or something."

"That's not it, Madison,"Sakura said, turning around back to the game, just in time to see Li score the first goal. The crowd went wild and as the ball was put back into play, the crowd started to count down the seconds.

"Five, four, three, two, one!" Sakura and Madison hugged in excitement as the rest of her team and everyone else that came along were screaming and yelling for Li's team. Sakura released her friend and watched as Li, Zach and the rest of the team were huddled in one large ball, hugging and pumped with energy of the final victory.

"I'll meet up with you later, okay Madison?"Sakura said, looking towards her friend for approvement.

"Sure. The rest of us are going to this pizza place down the street. So, I'll probably see you in the locker room around eight or so,"Madison said putting away her camera. "Go, Sakura! Congratulate him!"

Sakura smiled happily and hugged her friend one more time before she ran down the stands as fast as she could, which wasn't very fast because the crowd was so thick. Once she got down to the grass, most of the people in the stands were there too, so finding Li was proving to be a difficult task. Where is he? She wondered, looking around and jumping in the air to try to see him in his soccer uniform. He looked so attractive in his uniform.

"I told you I'd win." She turned around to see Li standing with his hands on his hips. His hair was drenched with sweat and he had that cute smile on his face. Sakura ran into his arms, not wanting to be apart from him any longer.

"Congratulations, Li! You did so well!" She said, holding him close. He was sweaty but still smelled okay, even though he was so dirty. Even his face had traces of mud on it. "How does it feel like to be a champion?" 

He released her slightly, just looking at her. "Great,"he replied. "I'm a little dirty though."

"Yeah, more like a lot,"she muttered sarcastically.

He smiled, "Okay! Okay! A lot,"he agreed. "So, I'm just going to go shower and change quickly and then we'll be off. Alright?"

"Yep. Just don't take too long. I might start to miss you again,"she said. Sakura had no idea where all these lines were coming from. She would never do this normally, but in this case she didn't even think twice, just letting her heart talk for her.

"Don't worry,"he said, holding her hand. "I'll be super quick,"he promised, kissing her softly on the lips, but a little longer than before, unsure of how long he should linger. Once they broke, still holding hands and definitely smiling. "We'll talk about this soon, I promise."

"Okay,"she said, still a little dazed from the kiss.They both just stood there in the midst of the crowd.

He slowly released her of his hand and she frowned slightly but smiled as soon as he offered her his arm. "Walk with me to the locker room?"He asked.

"Such a gentlemen,"she commented, slipping her right hand around his left arm, then walked towards the locker room, ignoring everyone else.

Author's Note: Okay! They finally have some understanding! It's about time! I should have the next chapter in about a week or so because I'm on a roll of creativity here! So anyways, the next chapter: The dinner, the field hockey game and a little bit of trouble (with a capital T that rhymes with P that stands for Pool! Does anyone get that? Probably not…) Please R+R!!!


	8. Somethings Are Happening For The First T...

Author's Note: Okay! Here's chapter eight! Well, I hope you like the way this story is going because I want it to be smooth. Even though the kiss was a little spontaneous and out of this world, it was meant to be. It was based on my experience a few weeks ago. These things do happen! And the situation will be explained more from the character's p.o.v. to help you guys out a little! And as always, R+R!

Chapter Eight: Somethings Are Happening For The First Time

            The full moon was radiating a large amount of light onto the earth below, brightening the streets and buildings in Tokyo.  Sakura stood outside of the boys' locker room, awaiting the return of Li. Her best friend, boyfriend, love or whatever. It was so very confusing and she was a little nervous about the conversation that would be taking place as soon as he emerged from the locker room.

            She sat down on the bench, leaning against the back of it, sighing. "Oh God,"she said aloud, half happy, half worried to death that Li did not feel the same. So many complications could arise and that was what she was afraid of most. An excuse or a logical reason that they kissed. 'You're my friend, Sakura. It was just a friendly gesture,' or 'It was spontaneous. I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking,' or maybe, 'It was no big deal, right?' She mentally smacked herself. Li would never do that to her. Ever. Even if he didn't feel anything. He would be a man about it. A man? She thought. I guess he is one. Wow, I've never thought of Li like that before.

            The anticipation was growing inside her and she could barely sit still. Finally the door opened and she turned to it, practically jumping out of her seat. It wasn't Li, though. "Oh. Hey, Zach."

            "Don't sound thrilled to see me or anything, Sakura,"he said sarcastically, walking towards her.

            She crossed her arms and then attempted to apologize. "Sorry, Zach. I just thought you were…uh…"

            "Li?"He asked, smiling. She smiled as well, looking to her friend. "Well, he's in the process of changing right now. He should be out in a few minutes."

            "Thanks."

            "No problem,"he replied, patting her shoulder and walking past her towards where Chelsea and everyone else would be waiting for him. He turned to her, "Hey, Sakura!"

            "Yeah?"She asked, turning around.

            "No regrets, right?"He asked.

            She smiled out of certainty. "No regrets,"she repeated, then watched him smile once more, salute her as a form of waving and then walk away towards the bleachers. "Then why do I feel so nervous?"She asked herself quietly. She turned towards the door and watched it open as Li stepped out.

            Sakura stood there as she watched him come into the light of the lamppost she was standing under. He looked so…gorgeous, she thought. He was wearing a pair of wide khaki pants and a black v-neck t-shirt she had bought him a few months ago. Banana Republic, and even though it was a little expensive, he looked absolutely fabulous in them. "Hi,"he said with a light hint of shyness and that clean Li smell that drove her wild. 

            "Hi, Li,"she said quietly. "You look really nice."

            He looked at his clothes and smiled. "You picked them out for me, Sakura. Of course they're nice." She loved when he said things like that. She could care less that it was a compliment, but just the fact that he meant it, that he was truly sincere, was everything to her. He was always completely honest and forthcoming with her, and as of late, he was even more…tantalizing. She was attracted to his magnetic personality. "Are you ready to go?" He asked softly, in a soothing tone.

            "Yes,"she said, stepping closer to him and putting her arm around his waist and in turn, he put his arm around her shoulder and drew her in to him. He guided her out from the campus and onto the street right outside, lined with shops and eateries, full with people. Everyone in the world seemed to be here at this point.

            They walked through the crowds, not letting go of her for a minute in time. He had her now and wasn't about to let her go. At least, that was his opinion on things. As they neared the restaurant, he began to get a little nervous. I know what's going on right now is a little weird, I mean, that kiss came out of nowhere! It's just that…I've always wanted this. What would it like to finally be with her? We've taken the next step. We're just there. I can't explain it but I'm not backing out now, no way, he thought as he opened the door to the restaurant, guiding her in.

            "Thank you,"she said, stepping inside. It was so beautiful. The lights were dimmed but candlelight was everywhere. Vines encircled posts and archways and plants decorated the open spaces. It was such a comfortable atmosphere; perfect for the conversation they were about to have.

            The hostess approached Li, "Do you have reservations?" She asked very politely.

            "Yes. It's under Li Showran. For two,"he said, then watched as her arm slipped into his and she leaned in closer to whisper to him.

            "You made reservations? What if I declined your offer?"She asked slyly, with a hint of teasing.

            He smiled at her and patted the arm around his. "I was hoping you wouldn't. I guess I'm just lucky,"he whispered back and then followed the hostess to their seat, Sakura still on his arm.

            The woman led them up the stairs and onto the second floor, to the back of the room where there was a little overhang over a round booth, with one connecting seat. The overhang was covered with vines and plant, surrounding the little nook pleasantly for the two. She laid two menus and a basket of garlic bread on the table and then promised she would return in five minutes for their order.

            "When did you make these plans?"She asked, sitting down on the right side of the table.

            "Right before the game. It was all Zach's idea,"he said smiling. "I thought this would be a good atmosphere for us to talk."

            She sighed before she took a piece of garlic bread, "You're right, Li. This is a wonderful little restaurant. I'm glad you brought me here."

            "Me too,"he said, also taking a piece of garlic bread. He took a bite and then hummed, "Mmmm. This is so good, Sakura."

            She tried some as well, and then nodded in agreeance. "Yes, it's delicious."

            When they were done with the garlic bread they picked up their menus and looked for some good food. "What are you going to have?"Li asked, still looking over the meals.

            "I'm not sure. The pasta alfredo, I think. It looks really good,"she said, putting her menu down to confirm it. "So, uh…what are you having?"

            "The lasagna,"he said, showing her the picture. She nodded her head, "You can have some if you want."

            "Li, you know that we always order whatever and end up eating half of the others. It's like tradition,"she said taking his menu and putting it with hers.

            "I know,"he said smiling. "We're good like that."

            Her tone changed to a more loving one as she spoke to him, "Yes, we are."

            Li took a sip of his water before he opened his mouth, "Sakura, I…I…"

            "Li,"she said, taking his hands into hers. "I know." She rubbed his hands with her thumbs as she started to tell him what was on her mind. "You're my best friend, Li. You know I love you. And this…this is…"

            "It seems natural doesn't it?"He asked. She was about to answer but the woman came to take their orders and they promptly let go of eachother's hands and became nervous again, just when they had become relaxed.

             "May I take your order?"She asked, retrieving a pen and notepad from her waitressing smock.

            "Yes,"Li began. "I will have the lasagna with a side of tortellini. And this lady here,"he added with a smile. "Will have the pasta alfredo."

            "And to drink, sir?"

            Li smiled devilishly at Sakura, "A glass of red wine."

            "And for you, madam?"

            "The same,"she said, smiling to Li. This most certainly will be an interesting night.

            The waitress left and they were alone again. Li wasn't going to be shy anymore. This had to be done and there was no turning back now. It was already out in the open. He extended his hand, offering it to her and she accepted, placing her hand in his. "This seems right, Sakura. Just holding your hand. We've done it before but this…this is different."

            "Yes, it most certainly is,"she said, agreeing. And with all the energy she had, prepared herself for what would come next. "So, what happens now?"

            He put his other hand on hers, rubbing it slowly. "I don't think we can ignore this, Sakura."

            "Not anymore,"she added, placing her other hand with the rest of the bunch, an entanglement of fingers.

            Li brought her hands to his lips and kissed it.  Then slowly kissing her fingertips, sending a wave of pleasure through her body, especially in her abdomanal regions. She felt drunk on this. When he stopped, her eyes drifted from her hands to his eyes. "What are you feeling, Sakura?"

            She shook her head, "I don't know, Li. This is all so…sudden. I didn't plan on this."

            "Me neither,"he said, dropping their mass of fingers to the table sadly. She didn't mean it to come out that way. "What do you want?"

            She looked towards their hands. Is this what I want? Of course it is. "I want _this_, Li."

            "I want this too, Sakura. If you'll have me," he said, holding her hand to his cheek. She caressed the side of his face slowly with her thumb, feeling the warmth radiating from within. Was this a dream? If she hit herself hard enough would she wake up? If she wanted to be with him enough would she open her eyes?

            "Oh, Li,"she said as they both looked at eachother with hunger and emotion in their eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest as he slid closer to her under a shady part of the overhang, where no lights were. He pulled her into the dark, holding her close. "Of course I'll have you."

            As the Phantom Of The Opera Soundtrack played in the background, the powerful voice of tenor along with a piano and an orchestra of violins, they held eachother, uncertain of their status. "Let's take this very slowly,"Li said, whispering in her ear. "You mean everything to me, Sakura. I don't even want to think about what would happen if this was ruined. I don't want to lose you."

            Tears built up in her eyes, threatening to fall at any moment, hearing those words from his lips. "I know how you feel because…I don't want to lose you either."

            "Then how about this,"he said, pulling away from her so that he could see her face. She blinked, once, twice, a few tears escaping. He put his hands to her face, cupping it, making the tears fall onto his hands instead of the floor. "We'll still hang out, like we always do, okay? Nothing will be changed. Except…maybe we can be a little closer. Hug for a little longer…a kiss…sometimes,"he said, his eyes wandering, searching her face. "Nothing official yet, okay?"

            She nodded and he kissed her forehead lightly, pulling her closer into a complete hug. He rested his chin on her head as she put her head to his chest, feeling the rise and fall of it. "Okay. We'll wait a few days. Maybe a week…to see if it's…right,"she replied into his chest. "But do you think that sometimes…you could hold my hand in yours or…whisper things in my ear. Even when we're in public…even if just to know that you care?"

            He pulled away from her, looking into her eyes, "Of course. You don't even have to ask, Sakura. I will constantly be letting you know that I care…it was planned on." He descended slowly to her, closing their eyes as their lips touched. It was beautiful. And as they separated she kissed him one more time, quickly, just for good measure. It was the seal of a promise. A pact. Although they were not together yet, this would be the right decision. They couldn't just fall into eachother too quickly. This needed to flow naturally. And although true love never did run smooth, this was a revelation to behold. Things were very clear.

            And even as they ate dinner and shared dessert (lemon meringue pie), they could not help but to smile. Everything was going so wonderfully. Nothing seemed strange about it, if anything they seemed even more relaxed around each other, if that was even possible. As they talked continuously, drinking their wine, they both wondered why they never said anything before.

            When it was time to leave, he paid the bill and ushered her out of the restaurant and down the street, back to the college. A parade of some sort was going on in the street and they had to push their way through the crowds to get back to Tori's university.

            "Is your brother coming to see you play?"Li asked her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind her. It brought a smile to her face. It was as if he was afraid to lose her in the masses.

            "Tori said he would show up with Julian tonight. Well, he said that he would try. They had previous engagements apparently. I just hope he can come,"she said, feeling a little disappointed already and the game hadn't even started yet.

            "I'm sure he will,"Li said, pointing to a break in the crowd where they could escape down one of the side streets to the university. They broke through the last of the crowd and he returned to putting his hands in his pockets and she put hers in her sweatshirt pouch. How they wanted to be near but they promised to keep it slow.

            "What are we going to tell everyone?"She asked.

            "If they ask, don't lie to them. I would never lie to Zach or Madison but…we're not together yet…so to speak,"he said, looking to the sky above.

            "Okay, Li. Let me rephrase that. What are YOU going to tell Zach when he asks?"She said, smiling.

            They both laughed but his dulled down to a more lighthearted smile as he answered her question. "I'm gonna tell Zach that…you're not my girlfriend…yet, but…you're not just a friend."

            "You make me sound like your mistress,"she laughed, elbowing him in the ribs.

            He laughed too. "Okay, let me rephrase that,"he said, using her own words. "I'll tell him that I'm doing something I should have done a long time ago. That you and I are an a state of understanding and true feelings."

            "Okay Li the poet, but you know Zach. He's going to implore further,"she pointed out.

            "Well then, I'll tell him it's none of his damn business!" He laughed, putting an arm around Sakura.  "But in all seriousness…"

            "Like that's possible,"she joked, causing him to mess up her hair a little before he pulled Sakura a little closer.

            "No, seriously…I'll tell him the truth. What we told eachother,"he stated. "What are you going to tell Madison, Sakura? Because we both know that she's going to be the first to pick up on something being a little different when she sees us together next."

            "I'll tell her the truth,"she said, smiling. It was her turn to steal his words.  Nothing could ruin this moment. She finally was where she wanted to be, except…she became silent as she thought of it. He immediately could sense her shift in her emotions and pulled her closer.

            "What is it?"He asked softly.

            She looked towards him. "What about Selena?"

            He gave her a confused look, not exactly sure what she meant…but then it hit. Like lightning. "The Ball,"he said sadly.

            She nodded and felt a little choked up. They weren't official yet and the Ball was next week. They both understood that he couldn't just drop her, that would be such an assholish thing to do. Something Li was not or ever could be. "I don't know. I guess I have to go with…her. I'm so sorry, Sakura."

            "It's okay,"she said with sad undertones. "You promised her, Li. And besides, we're not together yet. It wouldn't be fair to her. Even if she is a bitch and doesn't deserve you…"

            He smiled slightly but it turned to a very reserved, Li face. One of seriousness. "You know that there's no one I'd rather go with than you, Sakura."

            Her face remained unchanging as she added, "I do know that. And I can still dance one with you."

            "Yes. The last one. Remember to save it for me."

            "That's my line,"she said sadly, looking to the sky.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            Why am I so upset? Sakura asked herself as Li walked her to the locker room. I am in love with him. This man of mine. He's finally mine…well sort of…but I know he feels the same way. I should be excited and ready to celebrate but…I'm sad. Is it Selena? She thought, looking to Li. He was looking to the ground, but then saw that she was looking at him and lifted his head to see her. Ba-dump. Her heart skips a beat. But then he just looks at me and…I remember why I love you so much. They continued staring at eachother, both thinking in their heads.

            I know I've hurt her, he assumed…correctly. I know that it's a good idea to take it real slowly. That was the mistake with Selena, things moved too fast and I couldn't see what it was doing to me. To her. To us. I can't make that mistake again. This just isn't a fling or a crush…this is love. True love. And I'm certain she feels the same…she wants to take it slow as well. But that's not why she's sad. It's because of Selena. She's still my friend, it's true. I do like her. She's a nice girl…well at least to me. But she hurt me nonetheless. I could never be with her ever again. It's impossible. But I did promise her to the Ball and I have to go with her. Damn it. I just want to be with Sakura. Together. Always.

            They stopped about twenty feet from the locker room, which was on the opposite side of the boys. They stood near a lamp post, just like on the boys' side. "Good luck, Sakura. I'll be watching you."

            "Thanks, Li. I hope I do okay…I'm a little nervous,"she confessed. "I want to do good. I just can't let my team down, ya know?"

            "Yeah,"he said, taking her hands to his lips, kissing them softly and then layed them on his chest. She could feel his heart pounding through his shirt. Did I do this to him? She wondered. "But you'll do fine. You're absolutely wonderful,"he said smiling. "And I don't mean just at field hockey."

            And even though the girls'team was shuffling in through the door, and some of them were watching, she smiled and kissed him. It was slow but quick, she didn't want to cause too much of a stir. When they broke, she let go of his hands and was about to leave but he pulled her back, cupping her face with his hands and kissed her one more time. After that was over, he pulled her into his strong arms, kissing her forehead.

            "I thought we were going to take this slow?"She asked, half seriously and half jokingly, into his chest.

            "Well sometimes…I can't help myself,"he said, smiling. His voice was light and had the word "happy" written all over it. "I hope that's okay with you?"

            She pulled away from him, but now just holding hands. "Yeah, I think I can deal,"she said laughing. He kissed her hands one more time, her cheek quickly, adding a quick goodbye and left her towards the stands. "Goodbye!"she called to him. He waved to her, jogging to the stands to sit with the rest of  "the guys". She watched him leave. "God I love him,"she said to herself as she turned to see Madison and most of the field hockey team. Sakura instantly turned about four shades of red. Quickly regaining her composure, she walked towards them, "C'mon girls. We've got a game to go win."

            They laughed to themselves and she heard some comments as she picked up her duffle bag and set it on a bench, preparing to change. "Oh! That's about the cutest thing I've ever seen!" "She's so lucky…he's so hot…and sexy. Did you see those eyes?" "It's about time is all I have to say." "He's such a nice guy…I'm so jealous! I bet he makes a wonderful boyfriend,"one girl said. Her friend next to her giggled, "I bet he makes a great kisser!"

            Sakura smiled to herself as she took off her layers of clothing, standing in her bra and underwear. "He definitely is,"she said to herself as she put on the plaid skirt. She pulled on her shirt next which had her number on the back. Above it was the name AVALON in big bold letters and on the front in the upper left hand corner was the word, 'Captain.'

            "So who's the looker?"Madison asked, sitting on the bench next to her best friend. "Ya know…the one you couldn't keep your hands off of?"

            "Shut up, Madison,"Sakura laughed, turning red from embaressment.

            "Oh c'mon…I'm not naive like some people I know,"she said, crossing her arms. She scooted over to Sakura more, nudging her while she spoke, "So! Are you together yet?!"

            "Lower your voice,"Sakura said, looking around her to see if anyone heard Madison's rather loud question. "And if you must…then it's no. We're not official quite yet." Madison frowned a little and raised her eyebrow. The universal symbol for 'Explain yourself.' "He says he wants to take it slow, Madison. And I agree. This is so new to us. We just don't want to ruin it."

            "And how could that happen?"Madison asked. "You've been in love with eachother for god knows how long and now you want to take your time? I think seven years is long enough, don't ya think? But don't mind me, I'm just a crazy person…"

            Sakura hit Madison playfully with her sweatshirt before placed it in her bag. "You know what I mean, Madison. I think we're doing the right thing. Plus, he's still taking Selena to the Ball AND I think…she's still in love with him."

            "But she dumped him, Sakura. Why would she still love him? Now I think YOU are the crazy one here,"she said smiling.

            Sakura however, did not. "No…she's crazy. Selena. She's the most popular girl at our school, Madison. And I know how she's like. She wants what she can't have…which is Li." Sakura grabbed her cleats from her bag and started to put them on. "I don't know…we just want to be careful for a while. I mean, these cards…it's my problem. Not his. I'm the mistress and I really don't want him to get involved. I think the risk of him getting hurt will be greater once it's official…once we…if we declare our love,"she said, switching feet to put on her other shoe. "I can't bare to see him hurt."

            "And neither can he,"Madison said, putting a hand on her friend's knee. "He wants to help you…can't you see that? You're not alone in this, Sakura. He won't quit helping you. I know this guy, Li,"she said smiling, now holding Sakura's hand, as best friends do. "He's a keeper."

            Sakura blushed as they swung their hands like little kids. "Yeah."

            "Now tell me one thing,"she said, getting closer to her. "Is he a good kisser?"

            "Madison!"She said, releasing her hand and walking away.

            "Oh, c'mon! I'm your best friend! You have to tell me these things!"

            "I'm walking away now!"Sakura said, laughing. Grabbing her stick from against a locker and smoothing out her shirt.

"Sorry, Madison! I've got a game to go play!"She yelled back, rounding up the last of the girls and shoving them out the door.

            "Excuses, excuses,"Madison mumbled to herself as she left the locker room in search of Li, Zach, and some details.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

            Li was walking to the stands, up the many rows, searching for Zachary and the rest of his soccer team. He saw them, all wearing their soccer jerseys or sweatshirts since it was getting cooler out. He sat next to Zach and he threw Li his sweatshirt. "Here,"he said as Li caught it. "I brought it up for you. Thought you might want it."

            "Yeah. Thanks, man,"Li said greatfully, putting it over his head and slipping his arms through the sleeves. Li pulled his head through and saw out of the corner of his eye, a staring Zach.

            "What's up?"He asked.

            "Not much,"Li answered, a little confused. Zach was acting a little strange…

            Zach slid a little closer to Li, so the rest of the soccer team could hear him. "Not much? And by 'not much' you must mean that you and Sakura are finally together? Right? Cause that's what I'm thinking it means…"

            "Zach,"Li said. "You have no idea." Li looked to the floor and smiled so brightly, so enormously. "She's amazing. God I love her."

            "I know you do, bud,"Zach said, smiling as well. "I'm so happy for you. You guys are finally together! Now I don't have to hear you whine all…"

            "We're not together yet,"Li said, correcting Zach.

            "You did not just say what I think you did!"Zach said. Li nodded slightly. "And why the hell not?! Didn't you guys declare your unspoken feelings?" Li nodded again. "Then I must not be getting something. Am I not putting the pieces together right or what? Because I mean…when Chelsea and I got together…"

            "Zach, I love her…I've screwed it up before and made all the wrong choices with my past girlfriends. Sakura is different. I have to take it slow on this one. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

            "Okay, Li. Just don't hold back. If you want her to be your girlfriend, don't hesitate to show it. You can't force yourself not to move forward when you're at a standstill and you want to move on. Just let it flow. Whatever happens, happens. That could be the wrong choice."

            Li thought about what Zach was saying carefully. "Yeah, you're right there. Everything has to be just right with this one. It has to be…"

            "Perfect?"Zach asked. Li was about to speak up but Zach cut him off. "Man, there are no perfect things in this world. Don't wait for the 'perfect' moment, because you'll be waiting forever. It doesn't exist. It's when something feels right…that's what matters. Just don't get so caught up in protecting yourself and her of getting hurt, that you get hurt in the process."

            Li nodded. "Yeah,"he looked up to the field. The girls were practicing, with 3:42 left on the clock. He watched Sakura intently. His gaze never wavered. Not once. "I know." He watched her go to the bench to get some water and talk to the coach before jogging back out to the field. "Have you ever felt that something was missing in your life, before?"

            Zach laughed, "Yeah. It's called not having a job which results in no cash, my friend." Li looked to his friend and Zach stopped laughing, his expression changing. "Seriously?" Li nodded. "Yeah. We all have, Li." Zach turned to his friend who looked out into the field and then nodded his head towards Sakura. "What? She completes you?" Li looked towards, Zach. "You're not Jerry Maguire and this is not a movie!"

            Li shook his head. "That's not what I meant, Zach! Sakura doesn't complete me. I'm complete without her. I think everybody is complete without someone else. We're all born with one whole body, one complete soul…she just fills in the missing pieces. A chunk or two fell off when I moved back to Hong Kong, when I had the empty feeling inside me, or I was lonely. Sakura…she fills in the gaps. She doesn't make me this screwed up excuse for a human being. I feel decent. I feel…alive. For the first time."

            Zach put his hand on his friend's shoulder and smiled. "Spoken like a true man in love,"he said lightheartedly. Removing his hand from Li's shoulder and back down to the bench, he added sincerely, "Chelsea's like that. She's great. She really is. Don't know what I'd do without her, ya know? It's like the world doesn't seem so dim anymore."

            Li looked back at the clock again. Ten seconds. "I know exactly what you mean,"he said, then smiling as the buzzer rang loudly. He directed his attention to the field where the players were starting the match. Chelsea, Nikki and Rita were on the sidelines in their cheerleading uniforms, doing what cheerleaders tend to do…cheer. And of course Madison was on the bench video taping the whole thing for the video yearbook.

            Sakura grabbed her stick tightly, feeling the adrenaline rush as she looked into the eyes of the person directly in front of her. Her red jersey had captain on the sleeve. So she's a captain too, Sakura thought. Out of good sportsmanship and politeness, Sakura extended her hand, "Good luck,"she said, smiling.

            "Yeah, you too,"the other girl said. She seemed nice enough anyways. Oh well, game start. She's my opponent now. We're after the same thing. Victory. And it's gonna be all mine.

            The ref blew his whistle and the game began.

            Li, Zach and the rest of the guys team watched as Sakura stole the ball from the other team and hit it over to one of her team mates, Mel, approaching the goal. "Mel!" Sakura yelled, noticing her friend was being charged at from the front. Mel passed the ball to Sakura and she shot it into the goal.

            Sakura's team went wild and congratulated her on her goal for the team so early in the game. For the next ten minutes, the game was fairly regular. Each team scored a goal, with Sakura's team still in the lead. No one was hurt, nothing major. A few saves here and there from Leila, the team's goalie. After another few minutes, Mel scored a goal as well, making it 3-1. And making the other team not happy.

            The whistle blew then, signaling a switch of players. Sakura was tagged by one of the other girls on her team and she jogged to the bench, tired. "Drink this,"Madison said, handing Sakura her water bottle. "You're doing really well out there! This is going to look so good in the video yearbook, Sakura! I can't wait for you to see it!"

            "It's okay, Madison! I lived it!"Sakura laughed as she poured water all over her face. Madison laughed as well and then handed her friend a towel to dry herself. "Thanks,"she said taking it, then settled back on the bench to watch her team play.

            The other team had made a few switches as well, including one girl, number 38, a very tall muscular girl with dark red hair and eyes, matching her shirt. She looked particularly aggressive. "Wow, look at her,"Madison said, nudging Sakura and turning on her camera for some more action. "She doesn't look to pleased at the score."

            Sakura followed her eyes to the field and saw this girl. She turned her head and spit, not taking her eyes off her for a second. "Yeah, she looks awful pissed off. Hey, I would be too…if I was losing like this." She continued to watch the game as it started again, watching the girl move like lightning.

            "She's so fast!"Madison said, following her with the camera. A girl on Sakura's team named Alexandra was preparing to shoot, but this new girl, number 38, got into her way. Time seemed to slow down for Sakura as she watched her steal the ball from Alex, pushing her over and then send the ball flying towards the other end of the goal and getting it in.

            "Holy shit. Did you just see that, Li?"Zachary commented as he stood up with the rest of the crowd in total awe. Everyone was screaming in excitement except for the Reedington High supporters who were baffled.

            "Yeah I saw that,"he said, wide-eyed. I just don't know if I believe it, he thought.

            "That was unreal, Sakura,"Madison said as they stood up as well, watching the other team cheer and give high-fivers. "I mean really, you would think it impossible!"

            Sakura closed her eyed onto number 38, the word FIRE written on the back of her shirt, like it was her last name. "Yeah, you would think,"she said, staring at the girl.

            They both watched as Alex was carried off of the field, apparently hurt from what happened. They listened to her explanation. "That girl came out of freakin' nowhere coach!"

            "Yeah, it's like she barely touched you!" One of the other girls on Sakura's team said.

            "AHHH! My arm! I think it's broken!"Alex cried in pain. Sakura made her way over to Alex, smoothing her sweat-drenched hair from her face. "Sakura, you get that bitch for me! The game isn't over yet!" Alex said, being carried away by two paramedics. And as the game began to continue, with only a minute or two left on the clock before half time, Sakura watched the girl intently. Something wasn't right. That girl…it was like Madison had said. Unreal.

            The whistle blew again, and half time began with the home cheerleaders putting on a show. Sakura grabbed her duffle bag, with the Sakura Book inside and rushed over to Madison and grabbed her arm, then pulled her under the bleachers. Madison waited until they stopped walking and Sakura had checked to make sure if anyone was in earshot to ask her what was going on. "Sakura, what's this all about? Are you sensing something?"

            "I'm not sure, Madison. Not yet, anyways,"she said, putting her hands on her hips. "Can I see the footage you taped from before? When she knocked down Alex."

            "Yeah, sure,"Madison replied, pulling out her camera and opening the mini screen, rewinding it to the exact moment. "What are you looking for?"

            "I don't know. I just…"She trailed off as she watched the moment again, something catching her eye. "Rewind it! And can you put it in slow motion this time?"Sakura asked.

            "Yeah, hold on,"Madison said, touching a few buttons. The image slowed down immediately and they both watched number 38 come around from the back of Alex. Sakura's mouth dropped as she saw the image unfold before her. Number 38, FIRE, literally had flames coming from her body. Very small, quick spurts. Invisible to the naked eye in real time, but slowed down…Madison paused the picture. "I don't believe it, Sakura…"

            "I can,"she said, grabbing the key around her neck. "That thing…it's definitely not human." She was about to chant the words when one of her teammates came running towards them. Sakura quickly shoved the necklace into her shirt and zipped up her duffle bag as she approached her and Madison.

            "Hey Sakura! The game's about to begin again. You better get back there before Coach gets pissed!" Sakura's team mate, Ayra, stopped about ten feet before them. Sakura waved to her.

            "Yeah! Hold on!"She turned to Madison and hugged her, handing her the duffle bag at the same time. "Madison,"Sakura whispered. "Take this to Li and tell him that when there is ten minutes left on the clock in the last quarter, tell him to use The Time."

"Will it work?"Madison asked. "The cards are yours now, Sakura. Do you think he can use them?"

"I'm not sure. He captured The Time though, so it might,"she said, pulling away from Madison and smiling at her. "Let's hope so." Sakura turned to Ayra and waved again, indicating she'd be right there. "Just make sure to tell him ten minutes in the fourth quarter. I'm gonna need some time to figure out which card she is, okay?" Madison nodded and said goodbye as they both left eachother to their designated spots.

            Sakura ran off with Ayra by her side. "They already have the teams ready to line up out on the field. And guess who's starting on the other team?"Ayra commented sarcastically.

            "Thirty-Eight?"Sakura asked, running to the bench and getting a drink of water.

            "Yeah, she's about to get her fire doused that's all I can say. I can't believe she hasn't gotten a warning yet,"Ayra said, handing Sakura a towel to wipe her self off with.

            "Thanks,"she said.

            The coach started coming around, telling who would be out on the field. "Avalon?"

            "Yes, ma'am?"Sakura said, walking towards her.

            "I want you to sit out for a little bit, we might need your energy in the last quarter. Take notes and if you see anything, tell me. Any suggestions whatsoever."

            "Gotcha,"Sakura said, sitting down and wrapping the towel around her neck. "C'mon guys!"She called out as she watched them run onto the field. She also saw number 38 run out as well, having as much power and fight in her as she had the last time she was out playing. And then something unexpected happened, she looked at Sakura. Her eyes focused on the mistress, the young sorceress. She nodded in Sakura's direction and all Sakura did was snarl at her. "She knows who I am. Shit,"she mumbled to herself and then looked up to the bleachers. "C'mon Madison…tell him soon."

            "Excuse me…I'm sorry, I just need to get over here…sorry again…Li! Hey, Li!"Madison called out to him as she made her way through the crowded rows of people. When she finally sat next to him, she couldn't dismiss the look of bliss on his face. "What happened to you?"

            "Madison, I'm sure you already know,"he said, smiling. He couldn't stop.

            "Yeah, probably. I just want to hear it from you." She smiled as she dug her hand in a vat of popcorn a couple of the guys were sharing.

            "It's finally happening. We're…well…it's hard to explain."

            "Yeah, she had the same difficulties,"Madison said through the popcorn in her mouth. She swallowed before continuing. "But it's a good thing, right?"

            "A very good thing. It's so right, Madison. Not only is she my best friend but…I'm in love with her. It's absoultely amazing…this feeling…it's unlike anything I've ever felt. Nothing could compare to this. Nothing." He said, feeling tranquil and calm when he said all this. It was natural to say these words, even though he could feel the tears well up in his eyes, he didn't let them fall. "I just hope…when I ask her to love me, she won't walk away."

            Madison rested a hand on Li's, "She won't, Li. She won't walk away. I already know…she'll run to you." Madison could feel the tears coming as well, but for a different reason. "I love you, Li. I really do. You're like a brother to me. I don't want to hate you…but if I find out that…you're gonna back out of this,"she explained. He was about to speak, a tear falling when he comprehended what she was saying to him. "I know you won't break her heart but…don't…don't ask her for her love when you have to deal with Selena as well."

            "Madison,"Li began. "I love Sakura. I'm not pulling her along…this is for real. I just want to take it slow with this one. But as for my heart…it's only for her…she's the real thing." A smile rose to Madison's face. She extended her pinkie, a sign of a promise. He extended his and shook hers. "I promise."

            She nodded slowly and then opened Sakura's duffle bag and showed Li the Sakura book. "There's another card here tonight…incognito."

            "Number 38,"Li said, looking to the field, watching the girl play with such intensity and speed. Her energy never decreasing, never waning. "I can sense it as well,"he explained. "What did she want to do?"

            "When there is ten minutes left on the clock in the last quarter, she wants you to summon The Time card…so she can make her move." Li opened the book, still inside the bag to conceal it's identity. He searched through the cards until he came across The Time. "Do you think it will work?"

            Li closed his eyes, trying to feel the magic surge through his body. His eyes slowly opened, "Yeah, I think it will." He ran his thumb over the card, feeling the warmth that flowed through his fingers and the rest of this body. The card glowed very dimly, just enough for the two to see. "It still remembers my aura."They both smiled as they turned to watch Sakura's team play, with four minutes left to the third quarter on the clock.

            Sakura watched the remaining minutes pass by, waiting impatiently for her time to come where she could play. Time was moving so slowly now. The minutes were passing by like they were hours. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" Sakura cursed the clock for it's slowness. Watching the other team score another goal. The score was now, 3-2. They were gaining more points and fast. She watched as number 38 scored another goal just as the buzzer went off, signaling the end of the third quarter and a tied score. Things weren't going well.

            As the rest of Sakura's team came to the bench the coach started the schpiel, "Alright girls! Whatever pretenses you had about this being easy at the beginning, throw it all away! The score is now tied! You're slacking off out there! Now let's go! I know what you girls are capable of and this is not it! Now stand up, get your asses out there and win this game!" The girls all cheered as the coach called out there names for the people out on the field. "Avalon! Get out there and score some goals!"

            "Alright Coach!"She called as she grabbed her stick and made it out onto the field. She stood in the center, getting ready for the face-off. And of course, number 38 was up against her.

            They both stared at eachother, the fire raging in the both of them, of course one was more literal than the other. The ref came over to them and lifted the ball above them, ready to blow the whistle.

            The girl smiled. "Hey, Sakura,"the girl sang to an eerie tune. "Catch me,"she said, her smile widening. "If you can."

            "Catch this,"Sakura growled through clenched teeth as the ref dropped the ball. Sakura made a mad dash for it and hit it out of the way, towards another teammate. That was too easy, she thought.

            "You're right,"the girl said. "It was too easy." Number 38, FIRE, hit Sakura in the leg with her stick, causing her to fall to the ground in pain.

            Unfortunately, the ref's didn't see it. No one did. For when Sakura looked up, the girl was already going after the ball. How was it possible to be here next to Sakura and then at the end of the field the next moment? It's not possible. It can't be. "It's like it never happened,"Sakura said to herself as she stood up, ignoring the coach's demands on why Sakura just 'suddenly fell to the ground.'

            She turned around in time just to see the ball coming her way, the wrong way, towards her goal. "Shit,"she mumbled to herself as she attempted to steal the ball away from the other team. It wasn't successful, but one of her teammates did manage to steal it and pass it to her.

            Sakura ran down the field with the ball, ready to make the shot, it was wide open. But she fell again, the ball already was taken away by another member of the other team, already going in the opposite direction. "What the hell?!"She yelled as she got up again, holding her other leg in pain. Both were injured, but she could still run, for the most part anyways.

            "Given up yet?"

            Sakura looked to her side and saw number 38, running past her but then stopping as she heard Sakura answer her. "No way."

            The girl approached her as Sakura's coach called a time out. "Don't make it sound like you're on a fucking crusade. This isn't a war. But I suppose it's not fair if I can use magic and you can't…screw it. Life's not fair, how is this any goddamn different?"

            "It's not my problem if you have a grudge against life,"Sakura said, walking closer to the girl.

            "There's nothing wrong with life!"She screamed in anger. "It's death I have a problem with! Why give someone life when you're gonna take it back?!" She approached Sakura and skillfully punched her in side, causing her to fall into number 38's arms. She whispered softly, although with anger. "Clow Reed gave his life for those cards, the cards that you now use. But for what purpose? None! I hold a purpose…one much higher than most. Now fight back, mistress of the cards! Or forever hold your peace…"

            The whistle blew, a sign for the end of the time-out and the start of the game. The clock started to run again, exactly ten minutes shown on it. "Then how about we even the score?"Sakura asked as The Time cloaked the stadium in a standstill.

            Sakura freed herself of the girl's grasp, and fell to her knees, still in pain. Li ran to her side as fast as his legs would manage. "Sakura!"He yelled sliding next to her, holding her close. "Are you okay?!"

            She coughed before he helped her stand up. "Yeah…I think so. But we have to hurry, The Time card will run out soon, taking your energy with it, Li." She took the key into her hand, summoning it. "Release!" The staff grew in her hands and she quickly took out The Sleep card, asking to aid in the unawareness of what was about to take place, also awakening the new card.

            As The Time returned back to it's card, The Sleep took over, but awakened the Card, not having any affect on it. She stood up, her uniform shifting into a black kimono with a dark red overlay. Her hair twisted until it took the shape of two horns almost, shimmering under the light. She raised her left hand, palm up, and a small ball of fire forming in it. The ends of her kimono seemed to be on fire as well.

            Sakura and Li looked at eachother quickly, nodding their heads in unison. They pushed eachother other away, running in opposite directions as the fire was shot to where they once stood. Sakura called upon The Dash quickly as more fireballs were shot towards her, but not to Li.

            "Li!"She called, "Distract her! And hurry!" He nodded and took out one of his ofudas. "Know my plight! Release the light! Water!" He yelled, as the water attacked the girl, and she quickly tried to distinguish it with her fireballs.

            Sakura mentally thanked Li as she returned the dash card and out The Watery Card. She threw it in front of her, striking it with the end of her staff, calling upon its aid. "Release and Dispel! Watery!"She yelled, releasing the fish-like human from it's package.

            The Watery flew towards the card, enveloping it with the it's long water tail, creating a water ball in the air. They both fought for a while, awaiting for one to succumb to the other. The Watery was losing, horribly. It was almost on the verge of giving up and Sakura could feel her energy being depleted.

            Li ran to her, holding on to her before she collapsed. "Sakura! You need to use another card to assist The Watery. It can't do this all on it's own."

            "I know,"she said, losing her breath. "This new card is too powerful. Maybe another elemental card…"she trailed off, picking a the other elements from her pack. "The Firey isn't an option."

            "Neither is The Windy. The wind will only feed the fire." She nodded in agreement.

            "Then that only leaves The Earthy."

            "Do you think that's a wise decision? They are both violent and unruly cards, Sakura. Can they work together?"He asked, looking at the card and then to the battle before him. It wouldn't be long until The Watery would run out of energy.

            "Is there any other choice?"She said with sadness and uncertainty.

            He shook his head. "I don't know."

            "Then it's the only way,"she said as she threw the card in front of her. "Earthy Card! Assist The Watery in battling! Earthy! Release and Dispel!" The Earthy snaked its way into battle, combining with The Watery and successfully dousing the fire raging in the card.

            After Sakura's cards returned to her, she approached the new one. "The Aries? Am I right?"She asked.

            The card smiled at her. It seemed to be a pattern. All of the cards tended to be very aggressive towards her when she first encountered them, but as soon as they were defeated it was like the cloud of misery was lifted from them and they were allowed to be happy again. "Yes, you are correct, Sakura. A job well done I must say. Clow Reed would be proud." Sakura blushed slightly from the compliment. "I'm sorry about before. Sometimes I can be quick-tempered and impulsive."

            "All is forgiven,"Sakura said, holding the Aires' hand. "We can all be like that. Even Rams such as yourself."

            "You did a great job, Sakura. This was especially hard for you because…we hold the same power. You and I. We both have the Ram inside of us. The Aries,"she said, touching Sakura's upper chest. "You were born on the first of April, under the sign of Aries." Sakura nodded. "Good luck in the game. I'll be applauding you. Always."

            Sakura raised the staff high above her, with a little help from Li, "Return to your powers confined!" She yelled out and watched as the card was formed and then floated to her.

            Li wrapped his arms around Sakura from behind and kissed her cheek. "She's right, Sakura."

            "About what?"She asked, staring at the card. Like the other constellation cards, The Aries was holding someone else's hand from the right.

            "You did well,"he whispered, kissing her again.

            She laughed slightly, placing the card in the book with the others and then turned around to face him, her hands encircling his waist. "I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you, Li."

            He pulled her tightly into a hug, "It's nothing. I'm just glad I was there to help you." They both could relax in each other's arms now that it was over. The sleep powder was wearing off as the people started to wake up, not at all confused about what was going on. One of the powder's affects.

            They released eachother slowly as the band started playing again. The crowd roared with excitement and her team cheered loudly while they watched from the sideline. Sakura looked towards the clock. It had 1:22 left on it. "The clock never stopped,"she pointed out.

            Li turned his head towards it. "You're right. I don't think anyone noticed though."

            Sakura smiled to him as her coach yelled at her to get back onto the field. She did as she was told and with the remaining minute and a half, scored another point, leaving her team in the lead. The crowd started to count the seconds. "FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!" The noise was almost deafening as Sakura and her team ran towards eachother, hugging, crying and a little bit of both. She then ran over to the sideline and jumped into Li's arms, not caring about the 'taking it slow' approach.

            "Congratulations!"He told her, spinning her in circles. "You did absolutely wonderful, Sakura! I'm so proud of you!"

            She smiled at him and kissed him softly. "Was there any doubt in your mind that we'd lose?!"She asked as he let her down. They both laughed at her mock-arrogance. 

He was having the time of his life right now. Everything was perfect. Holding her like this. He didn't know how to express the way he was feeling except…"I love you!" He yelled.

            "What?!"She yelled back. It was so loud, she must have not heard it right. Did he just say what I think he said? She thought to herself as she looked at him, wide-eyed and open mouthed.

Okay that's the end of that chapter! How was it?! I know it was a little fast and whatnot but play auditions are this week and I have to practice! AHHH!!!! So depending on the role I get, the sooner the next chapter will be out. Anyways, review!    


	9. Armor Amour

Author's Note: Okay…here it is. Chapter Nine! So as always enjoy and of course review!

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS or any of its components. They belong to CLAMP.

Chapter Nine: Armor Amour

            Sakura stood there as the crowd surrounded her and her team. She looked like as if she was about to cry. The tears building up in her eyes, but she did not let them fall. Instead, a few of her teammates hoisted her up on their shoulders as they shouted support. Li watched with a slight smile on his face, seeing the girl he loved…yes, loved…being carried away. The rest of her team ran up to her and joined in on the action of parading around the field. Now it seemed as if he were alone.

            Yes, Zachary was now at his side, a hand on his shoulder, saying something to him although the words were being blocked out. The smile still on his face, he watched Sakura as she loosened up, laughing and yelling with her friends. But that didn't fool him. Of course she was happy, her and her team were the champions! But on the inside, buried beneath everything, she was feeling love. The love that he had shouted to her moments before. What was it? A spur of the moment confession? Was he in love her? Or was it the type of love that best friends share? That is the reason (as all women know) that the love she was feeling, was wrapped up in confusion. And he knew this.

            "Li? Hey Li, what's wrong?"

            Li turned to his friend, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, the cool night air nipping at his arms. He held up two fingers. "Strike two."

            "What do you mean?"Zach asked, holding his friends shoulders. "What happened, Li?"

            "If everything wasn't confusing already…"Li muttered to himself, looking down at the ground. He shook his head side-to-side and then looked up to Zach, his eyes a little glassy. "I told her that I loved her."

            "I thought you were going to take it slow,"Zach said, taking his hands off of Li's shoulders and stepping a little closer to him. "That's not slow."

            "I know that, Zach. But, it just came out of nowhere. She was there and…my feelings took over me. I love her, Zach. God knows I love that girl more than anything!"He said, raising his voice and pointing to Sakura, still with her team. "But all this shit is happening…"He trailed off, realizing Zach mustn't know about the cards. It would only complicate things. "Why does this have to be so hard? Why can't we love eachother and just be!"

            Zach thought for a second, very carefully, choosing his words wisely. "Li…this isn't supposed to be easy. Nothing is. If things were easy, then what would be the point? We have to work at the things we hold near and dear to our hearts. And for us, my friend…"He said pausing, a smile growing on his face. "That would be the women we love."

            "I know, I know,"he said, turning to face Sakura. "But what do I do about it?"

            "For one, start treating life as a blessing instead of a burden." Li turned back to Zach, his hands still in his pockets and the wind blowing his hair. "You don't need all these rules and barriers you're setting up. Don't talk about taking it slow and not being official yet or whatever…just be with her. If you say you love her and you mean it then what's so bad about that? You meant it…right?"

            "Of course I did, Zach."

            "Then don't worry about it!"Zach said, laughing. He patted Li on the shoulder to try to loosen him up. "Talk to her. Communication is the way to go."

            "What do I say?"Li asked, unsure of himself. "Apologize?"

            "Now why would you do a stupid thing like that?"He asked seriously. "You love her! Don't apologize for it!"Zach said, laughing. "Ask her to be your girlfriend."

            "What?! Zach, that's way too fast! I just told her I was in love with her for Chris sakes!"

            "Jesus! You're making it sound as though I just told you to propose to the poor girl!" He shook his head and put his hand back on Li's shoulder. "Look, it was just a suggestion. But you do need to talk to her. And definitely spend a lot more time with her. Personal stuff. Hey…another night at your house would probably be a good idea. Ya know…a chance for you guys to be alone and sort things out. Have some fun without worrying about her over bearing brother or anybody for that matter."

            "Yeah, definitely. I wonder…"Li said, feeling a smile creep on his face and the warm feeling that was emerging from his stomach and spreading around his body like blood. "Maybe…she'll let me sleep with her and…"

            "Woah buddy! Isn't that going a little too fast?!"

            "No Zach! Not like that! I meant…sleep…as in the action of not being awake and walking around!"Li said, giving Zach a playful punch in the arm. "Just to sleep next to her and…hold her. To know that we're not only best friends that…there's something more."

            "I know, bud. I was just giving you a hard time,"Zach said matter-of-factly. "Now c'mon…let's get on the bus and prepare for that nice three hour ride home, shall we?"

            "Yeah…okay,"Li said, not really paying any attention to Zach. He was looking at Sakura, a big smile on his face.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            "Good game girls! I'm proud of you all! But we'll have to hold off on the celebrating for a little while longer because the bus is going to be leaving in five minutes. So pack up your stuff, girls! Let's go!" The coach yelled to the girls who were busily chatting and packing at the same time.

            Sakura smiled wearily at the scene going on around her. They were the champions alright but that wasn't what she was thinking about right now. _"I love you."_ The words rang through her mind like a shot from a gun. Everything was so confusing right now. The cards, Megumi, Selena…Li. They had just declared there feelings that night and now he told her that he loved her. Of course I love him, Sakura thought to herself. But everything is happening so quickly. I don't know what to think.

            "Hey Sakura. Why aren't you smiling? You just won!" Madison said, giving her best friend a well-needed hug. She hugged her friend, rocking her back and forth with happiness and excitement. Sakura couldn't take it anymore. Everything was so overwhelming. Now all she could do was break down. Madison could feel the girl in her arms shaking and so she held her even tighter. "Sakura…what's wrong?"

            "Oh Madison…there's too much going on right now. I can't do this!" Sakura said. Madison took that cue for a long conversation and so she sat on the bench, Sakura still in her arms.

            "What do you mean you can't do this? Of course you can, Sakura. You are the strongest person I know. You can handle anything," Madison said, smiling reassuringly. "What is this all about? The cards? Li?" Sakura nodded as she tried to finish packing her equipment. "Let me do that. You need to hurry up and change before the coach gets mad."

            Sakura nodded again in between a few sobs. She started throwing off her clothing and changing as quickly as she could at the moment, while explaining to Madison. "I don't know, Madison. I mean…between the cards, Megumi, Selena and now Li…I just don't…"

            "Woah woah woah wait! Li? Honey, if anything he should make all those other problems go away,"Madison said, taking Sakura's uniform and putting it in with her other stuff. She zipped up the bag and placed it at Sakura's feet and then stood up to confront her. "Now what does Li have to do with all of this?"

            "Madison,"Sakura started, happily and still crying at the same time. "He told me he loved me."

            "Well that's great news!"Madison exclaimed, holding her best friend's hands. "What's wrong with that, Sakura? Don't you love him too?"

            "Yes! Of course I do! But don't you think it's a little quick? I mean we just confessed our feelings tonight, made a promise that nothing was official yet and then he told me he loves me. What am I supposed to think?" Sakura pulled on her sweatshirt and then released her long hair from the hood.

            "You're right, Sakura. It's not fair of him to say that. But just talk to him about it, okay? I know Li and he's not just dragging you around. He truly loves you and would do anything not to see you get hurt. And I'm not just talking about emotionally either." Sakura took the bag off the floor and placed it over her shoulder as she listened to what Madison was saying. "Li wants to help you with the new cards as well, Sakura. You're acting as if you were alone through all of this. But you're not. You're far from it! You have me and Kero and Li to help you!" She said happily. Sakura started to smile as well. "Are you better now?"

            "Yeah,"Sakura said, putting an arm around Madison. "Thanks, darlin'. I don't know what I would do without you."

            "You would be absolutely lost,"Madison said back, smiling. "But fear not! I always have time for my best friend. For anything! And you know that."

            "Of course I do!"Sakura said, giving her friend a quick kiss on the cheek. "Now I have one more problem…"

            "Oh ho ho ho! And what would that be?"Madison asked.

            "What do you think about a haircut?" Sakura asked, opening the door and stepping out into the parking lot.

            "You're kidding!" Madison practically screeched. Sakura shook her head.

            "No joke. I think a little above shoulder length, ya know…like back in elementary school. When I first started to capture the cards."

            "I always loved your hair that way," Madison said joining her friend outside. She had almost collapsed when Sakura had told her the news. She had always been so protective of her hair and now she was cutting it off. It's strange how things change.

            "Yeah I always did…too…Tori!" She called out, seeing her brother in the parking lot next to his car. Sakura ran to him and gave him a big hug. "Tori! I'm so happy you could make it!" She pulled back, full of energy now and excitement. "Did you see me play?"

            "Yeah, squirt. You did a great job. Congratulations,"he said, handing her a bouquet of flowers.

            "Ya know, Tori. Sometimes you can be such a sweet brother. Thank you,"she said, accepting the flowers and kissing her brother on the cheek. "Where's Julian?"

            "Couldn't make it. He said he had some important business to take care of. Whatever that means,"he said, shrugging his shoulders. Sakura knew what it meant. Kero succeeded. Yue's been revived, she thought. "But uh, anyways…look, I have to stay at the university for a few days. They're renovating part of a building and they need people to take the computers and set them up elsewhere. It pays pretty good and I could use the money and…"

            "Tori,"Sakura said, getting to the point. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. If it makes you feel any better I'll stay with Madison."

            "Sakura, you don't need to do that. You've been home alone for a while now…I think a few more nights won't be so bad. But I would feel better if you were with Madison…or Li."

            "What?" Sakura said. "Did you just say…"

            "Now don't try to ask me for an explanation, okay? I know about you and…Sakura, I'm not an idiot. I can see what's happening." Sakura bowed her head, waiting for the lightening to strike. "Damn me for saying this but…I trust him…with you." Clear skies. "Now I'm not saying I agree with this whole thing but I dunno…I see the way he looks at you and…nevermind. I don't even want to venture further. If he makes you happy then…go for it, squirt."

            She lifted her head up, a huge smile on her face. Her life had taken a sudden turn from About-To-Fall-Apart to now being A-Wonderful-Thing. "Thank you, Tori!" She said, jumping onto him. Sakura pulled away, cupping his face. "You don't know how much this means to me! To hear you finally say that! Oh, I love you big brother!" She exclaimed and then ran off towards the bus, waving. "Bye!"

            He waved, a slight smile on his face. "God I hope I know what I just allowed her to do." He turned around to get in the car but then heard his name being shouted again.

            "Tori! Hey!"

            He looked up to see Zach and Chelsea running towards him. "Oh…hey guys."

            "Has Sakura gotten on the bus yet?"Chelsea asked.

            "Uh…yeah. Just got on."

            "Okay! Thanks!"Zach said, taking Chelsea by the hand and running towards the bus. Suddenly Chelsea stopped and turned back towards Tori. 

            "I forgot to ask, have you talked to Megumi lately?"Chelsea wondered, running up to Tori. "I mean, you guys know eachother from school so I assumed…"

            "Um, no. Haven't seen her,"he said. Something wasn't right, Tori thought. I don't know any Megumis at my school. Never heard of any but she says she knows me. "Hey Chelsea, what's Megumi's major?"

            "What? You don't know?"

            "Must have slipped my mind,"he quietly said. I never was a good liar, he thought.

            "Some friend,"Chelsea said playfully. Tori just laughed it off, a little uncomfortably. "It's Marine Biology."

            "Oh yeah, thanks,"he said, pretending to remember. Chelsea nodded and then ran off towards the bus, calling Zach's name.

            Tori sat down in his car and started the engine. He needed to drive over to his dorm on the other side of the university. He shook his head as he backed up. "That can't be true,"Tori said to himself. "The Marine Biology majors always go to Australia during Spring Break. Something's up." He put the car into drive and started to pull away slowly out of the parking lot. "Be careful, Sakura."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            Sakura put her bag and stick under the bus this time. She was planning on having a good rest on the bus. The last few days had worn her out and now she was really started to feeling the effects. Upon capturing three new cards and transforming them into Sakura cards at the same time, it was getting to be a little wearing. But as always, she did it with a smile. Well, most of the time.

            Grabbing the handle, she hoisted herself on the bus, already noticing that half of the people were asleep or getting themselves to that point. A celebration would be held tomorrow no doubt, probably a dinner cruise in the local harbor, she thought. That's what they did when the cheerleaders won their winter competition a few months back so why would it be any different? She was excited for it, another chance to see Li all dressed up and handsome as usual.

            Sakura made her way to the back of the bus, having a few short conversations on the way. Chelsea and Zachary were sitting next to eachother, Chelsea was already asleep. Nikki and Rita were sleeping on eachother and Madison was sitting in a seat by herself behind them, reviewing her footage.

            "Is this seat taken?"Sakura asked with a little sex appeal as she walked over to where Li was laying down, the last row with three seats. She laughed a little as he encircled her waist with his arms and pulled her down to him, holding her tightly. She let out a little giggle but it subsided to a sigh as he kissed the spot on her neck, right below her earlobe.

            "I've missed you,"he whispered softly into her ear. They both laughed a little. Everything was right. Just so right. But they had to talk and that was the part he was dreading so he covered his nervousness and anxiety up with happiness. She squeezed him tightly one last time before she parted from him and sat up, pulling him up with her. Sakura held his hands in his, rubbing them softly. Her eyes became more relaxed and to him this meant something bad was about to happen. "Sakura, I'm so sorry…"

            "Shhhh,"she cooed, feeling the strain in his voice. She looked into his eyes. They were a little glassy. Was he going to cry? "Li…it's okay. Nothing bad is going to happen to us, okay? Please, know this. We're alright." He nodded slowly and then took her into his embrace, holding her for all that she was worth. She sighed contently. What was I worrying about before? She wondered. I was getting worked up over nothing. He really loves me. There's absolutely nothing that is going to change this. "But we still need to talk."

            He pulled away but still kept her near. "Alright,"he whispered. His voice sounded so…sexy when he did that. Almost in a seducing manner. She smiled at him and kissed his lips softly.

            After she pulled away, they stared into eachother's eyes for a little while, but then she remembered…their talking. "Li."

            "Yes?"

            "Yue's been revived."

            He swallowed and then let out a long sigh. "Are you sure?"

            "Positive. I saw Tori before I came onto the bus. Julian wasn't with him. And I'm sure, Li. He's been awakened. I almost can….feel it,"she whispered. They moved in closer to eachother so that no one could hear them. "What should we do?"

            "We definitely need to talk to them. Update them on the current situation and then find out all we can. Yue, Kero or the both of them might know something we don't." He put a hand to her face, caressing it with his fingers. "Sound good?"

            She nodded. "Mmmhmm,"sighing into his grasp, then turning her head to kiss the palm. Her lips against his skin felt like rose petals. Could it always be like this?

            "Sakura, I…" But then stopped when she silenced him. He yawned into her hand and his eyes became sleepy.

            "Are you tired?"She whispered to him. He nodded. She smiled at his actions. "You're so cute when you're sleepy." Li blushed, turning a few shades of red. "Why don't you take a nap then,"she suggested. "We can talk later, okay?"

            "But, Sakura…"he started, not even bothering to whisper.

            She quickly silenced him with a kiss, a deeper one this time. Their mouths opened and closed with more passion then their previous kisses, and when it ended he sighed, wanting more. He leaned in for another one and she didn't object as he pulled her down with him to lie on the seat. When the kissing stopped she smiled, then laid her head on his chest, right below his chin. He wriggled his body a little higher so that some of his back was propped up against the window and he took his sweatshirt and placed it behind his head, then took a blanket and placed it over the both of them. He wrapped his arms around her body and she did the same, not even thinking of letting go. Her eyes opened and a smile formed on her lips as she asked, "Can I stay at your house tonight?"

            He smiled a very large smile as he kissed the top of her head and then began to run his fingers through her hair. "Of course. I love having you near me." And with that declaration made, they both wandered into the realms of Queen Mab.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            As the hours rolled by, most of the bus was asleep. There were a few individuals who just couldn't sleep on buses, pretty much the coaches and assistant coaches and of course Madison. She was writing in her journal for the night's previous events:

            _March 25, 2001_

_I'm sitting on the bus right now, coming home from the championship game at Tokyo. The Boys' Varsity Soccer team and the Girls' Varsity Field Hockey Team both won their games! Each game was a heated match but especially Sakura's. She caught the Aires today. I'm so proud of her, being able to keep up throughout all of this. She's so strong and the funny thing is, she doesn' t even realize what she's capable of._

_Next year we'll be seniors. It's hard to imagine it, though. Then after that, what? We'll all go our separate ways? Why does it feel like it's not supposed to be that way? I don't know. Everything is changing so fast. But I guess in a good way._

Madison glanced over to the figures sleeping across from her. Li and Sakura were in a peaceful slumber looking so…at ease with everything. As if nothing could bring them down. It was times like these that Madison cherished. She smiled to herself and continued writing:

_On a personal note, I'm glad to see that Sakura and Li are finally getting to that point of…happiness. They truly love eachother and it was just so damned frustrating to see them not realize their feelings sooner! But alls well that ends well I suppose. Things are turning out good for a change. The cards are being captured, Sakura isn't sad anymore and to top it all off, her and Li! _

Madison stretched her arms out as she yawned.

_I guess I really didn't realize how tired I am. Time for a quick nap before we arrive home. About a half an hour or so. Bye!_

"So tired,"Madison said to herself as she placed her journal in her bag and turned around on the seat and fell asleep, her back towards the seats in front of her.

            A few minutes later, another awake passenger glanced from where she was sitting on the bus to Madison. Good, she's asleep, she thought. Megumi stood up and walked slowly to the back of the bus and sat down on the seat in front of Madison's. Carefully, as to not awake her, Megumi crept her hand into Madison's bag and took out her journal. Let's see if you have anything useful for me, she wondered. Upon opening the book, she flipped her way through some of the more recent entries.

            _March 23, 2001_

_Things aren't going well for Sakura today. She felt really sick and Li had to bring her home. I don't understand what's wrong with her. She seems so depressed all the time and sad. I wonder if it has anything to do with her father and brother being away for so long? I just don't know. She won't talk to me about it either. I wish I could help her but I can't. _

_                                    Later…_

            There are more cards! I know it seems irrational, okay, VERY irrational but it's true! Sakura caught a card called The Aquarius. As in the zodiac sign. It was so exciting and yet so very familiar at the same time. But amazingly, Sakura seems to be in good spirits! Maybe it has to do with a certain Li Showran? Oh ho ho! I could only hope!

Megumi shook her head as she thought to herself: It only started on Friday! I was so lucky to arrive at the perfect time! But it seems as if she's capturing a new card each day, she assumed, flipping through to the following two days. This isn't good! She thought, slipping the journal back into Madison's bag and carefully going back to her own seat. Things aren't going the way I planned. Now I'll have to change my course of action completely.

            Megumi was shook from her thoughts as the bus made a screeching halt. She looked out the window and saw the not-so-familiar landscape of the school parking lot, indicating that their little trip was done. Megumi sighed. Another night with no answers.

            As the lights on the bus flickered on, the athletes woke up from their sleep and tried to not be disoriented. Most of them started to stand up and get their personal belongings as fast as they could. Most of them were in a hurry to get off the bus and get home to have a good night's sleep without any interruptions of a bus. Most of them.

            Li slowly opened his eyes, taking in everything that was happening around him. People were rummaging around in overhead compartments and under the seat, searching for their duffle bags, backpacks and whatnot. Madison grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulders and then waved to Li. "See ya later. Take care of her tonight, okay?"

            Li just nodded his head, "Okay, Madison. See ya." He then turned his attention to the girl still sleeping on him. "Hmmm,"he hummed, smiling. Luckily for him, her face was only inches away and tilted towards him. She was practically begging to be kissed! He thought to himself. Slowly descending to her lips, he finally kissed her and as she awakened, leaned in to him more, causing his head to hit the glass. They broke and she giggled like a little girl, still a little sleepy. "Hey,"he said in that low, seductive whisper of his.

            She smiled at his welcome. And then he did that thing she loved. He ran his fingers through his hair and then kept his hand on the back of his head, using his elbow to prop his arm up against the seat. The urge was too great, she kissed him deeply, the most passionate kiss they had shared thus far and broke it as quickly as it came. It drove him wild as he watched her walk away from him towards the exit of the bus. She turned at the door and bit her lip at him. "She has no idea what she's doing to me right now,"he said to himself, smiling.

            "Oh, I think I have an idea." Li turned to the seat in front of him and saw Zach leaning over the seat, smiling that dumb, love struck smile. "Drives you crazy, doesn't it?" Li shrugged and got up from his seat and started to walk past Zach, towards his princess. "Then what does it do to you, man?"

            Li turned around and smiled, "It makes me fall deeper in love is what it does." Zach laughed and smiled as well as Chelsea's arms wrapped around him from behind. I understand perfectly, he thought.

            Sakura had jumped off the bus, laughing. She knew exactly what her little tease had done to Li and she thought it was so funny, almost hysterical. She searched the bottom of the bus for her stuff and when she found it, grabbed it and turned around to see Li…very close to her. "Hi."

            "Hey,"he said smiling. "Ready to go temptress?"

            "Since when did I become that?" She asked, like it shocked her. He rolled his eyes and took her hand, pulling her close to him, wrapping his arms around her.

            They walked like this to his car and they couldn't help but to constantly smile! Since when does happiness like this, bliss like this appear? Usually never and some people never achieve this height of sensitivity. It was amazing. To the naked eye they were just a normal couple, new to the relationship just beginning. But to eachother it was so much more. It was the start of something that would draw them closer than ever before.

            On the drive to her house they became full of energy. The sleep, game and the capture of a new care refilled their body with pure energy and it was overflowing. The night was only beginning. 'For a dreamer, night's the only time of day…'

            As they arrived at her house, they both mentally prepared themselves for what was to come. Yue had now been revived and any preconceptions about this being easy was now erased from their minds. Tonight, they were both hoping to get some answers.

            The two of them walked up to the door and just stood there, staring at the front of it. Sakura took a few deep breaths in but stopped mid-intake, feeling Li's fingers entwine with her own. She smiled and then turned to look at him. "Ready?"

            "Yeah,"he said, nodding. "Let's do this." At this time he opened the door and stepped in first, leading Sakura behind him. He led her through the entranceway and down her hall, on their way to the living room. As they rounded the corner, he squeezed her hands, his way of letting her know that everything would be okay. And you know what? She truly thought it would be.

            First she saw two sets of large wings; white in appearance and soft to the touch. She knew this because many a times she had been carried in his arms or rested on his back after a long battle. She almost swore that she could feel the feathers lightly brushing her face. "Yue,"she said, barely audible.

            "Mistress,"he said in that voice of his. The one that holds authority yet could lull you to sleep, if given the chance. "It has been a while."

            Sakura walked up to him and without one bit of hesitation, reached out for his waist and held him to her. "I have missed you."

            He smiled slightly as he responded to her hands, putting one on her back and the other on her head. "And I you."

            Li crossed his arms and smirked as he stood next to Keroberos, now in his true guardian form. He watched the two hug, renewing the special bond they always had shared. "It has been a while,"Li remarked, still watching them. His sight shifted to the guardian beast beside him. "Sakura captured another card."

            This got the attention of Yue as well and he separated from Sakura. She bowed her head, looking at the floor. "Yes, it's true. Now I have four." Sakura went into the hall and emerged a little while later with her book. She opened it and with her magic, the four cards floated around her in a circle. "The Libra, Aquarius, Sagittarius and now…The Aires,"she said, taking that specific card. After a moment of searching it over, she took all four of the cards and placed them on her coffee table in the middle of the room. "Four out of twelve,"she examined them all before she sat down. "Eleven new cards, Kero. Why didn't someone tell me about this sooner?"

            Yue spoke for the both of them, "Because Sakura, it was just a legend. When Clow Reed started to deteriorate more rapidly then before, many groups started to ponder ways to stop it all. No one wanted to see him die. They tried everything. From spells to potions but…their trials were all in vein. Clow knew death was just beyond the next day or the day after that. It was only a matter of time."

            "Yue's right,"Kero said. "We never thought it would happen but…the constellations held a place for Clow Reed in their hearts. Each of them gave up their livelihood for the chance of saving him. Hoping that one day someone could set them free and wish for the revival of Clow Reed."

            "But why turn themselves into cards? Why not heal him directly?"Sakura asked, looking from one guardian to another. "Wouldn't that make more sense?"

            "It's not possible,"Kero began. "Things don't work like that, Sakura. If they healed him directly then complications in the afterlife would arise. Complications in the netherworlds. Gods and monsters alike would be furious. They are the ones that think everything should not be so easy. The revival of Clow Reed or anybody at all had to be earned. But time was running short. So the constellations tried to beat the system…"

            "They turned their spirtual sense into the cards. If someone would release them they would hold the power to bring back someone from the dead,"Yue finished. Kero shot him a nasty look but he just ignored it. "Fine, Kero. Continue on if…"

            "So then,"he said, not jumping in at all… "some of Clow's followers and colleagues tried to capture the cards to revive Clow but other forces got in the way."

            "Like what?"Li asked. "What forces?"

            "There were some evil magicians and sorcerers that wanted Clow to stay dead. Other organizations and corrupt brother and sisterhoods wanted the power of the cards to bring back former leaders of their cults and clans. A battle erupted. Something that once seemed almost simple was now turning into a huge task,"Kero added. "So eventually, I suppose the cards were forgotten and time passed on. Clow had been dead for too long. His connection with the earth became non-existent. And so were the memory of the cards,"Kero concluded.

            "So why are they surfacing now? After all this time?"Sakura asked.

            "I think you triggered it,"Li realized.

            "What, Li? What do you mean that I triggered it?"

            He looked to her guardians and Kero nodded him to continue. "The day that you used the Libra, Sakura. You used that card for a purpose that it had forgotten long about. You used it for a physical as well as an emotional healing tool. And then it must have remembered it's original intent. I think it somehow awakened the others."

            "If that's true,"Sakura said, taking all of the cards in her hand. "Then what do I do with them once they're all caught? What then?"

            "First, you must activate them. By capturing them you have proven your physical strength but now you must prove your intelligence." Sakura groaned at this comment but Yue just continued on. "Then you must take part in a trial. You will have to pass one more battle by approaching The North Star. Like in the Final Judgment, she will determine whether you can be granted the power to revive someone from their untimely death."

            Sakura put the cards away into her book and held it close to her, feeling her eyes become a little watery. "Tell me one thing,"she said, looking to her guardians. "Is it possible to bring back my mother?"

            Yue's face, usually emotionless became a little shocked as if he didn't know what to say. He looked over to Keroberos and he didn't have the answer either. As to not upset her, Yue tried to answer her question the best he could. "Anything is possible." Some answer.

            Pausing, Sakura took in a deep breath. "I know anything is possible, Yue,"she said, standing up and approaching him. "But what I want to know is…is this possible? Because if it's not then…"She stopped and took another deep breath, trying to come herself down. "I know it's too late for Clow already but…if I can't bring her back then I won't bring back anyone at all."

            Keroberos walked over to Sakura, "Yue and I are still not sure if it will work or not. The afterlife is very complicated. Certain circumstances may arise. Sakura, this is a very tricky matter and until we're one hundred percent sure of anything, it would be wrong to make assumptions."

             Sakura stretched her arms out as she yawned while she talked, "Then maybe we should call Eriol…"When she was finished, her eyes started to close and became watery. She rubbed them and shook her head, trying to stay awake.

            "Maybe another day, Sakura,"Li said, walking over to her. "We're both a little tired."

            Keroberos nodded, "That's a good idea. We are tired as well from the revival."Kero and Yue looked at eachother and came to a mutual understanding of where Sakura was sleeping tonight. They both knew as well what was going on of course and nodded to eachother as they walked up the stairs. "Goodnight Sakura."

            "Good…night,"she mumbled between yawns as she fell into Li's chest.  

He laughed slightly, "Silly girl." And then scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the door. On the way out he managed to grab her duffle bag and Sakura book as well. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? He thought. She has caught a new card everyday since Friday. It's amazing she hasn't passed out all ready. Transforming them into Sakura Cards in the process of capturing them, day after day. She's so strong. Sometimes I envy her strength.

Li dropped the bag and opened the car door, placing Sakura gently on the seat and then reclining it for her. Shutting the door gently, he smiled. He had done things like this many times before but suddenly, the meaning was different. They would finally be together soon…well hopefully. As he sat in the car, he ejected the cd that was in the player and put in a new one. A mix that Sakura had made for him called, "Nadeshiko Remix" after her mom.  He remembered her saying that she didn't know why she named it after her mom, maybe something she would listen to.

On the drive to his house, Li started thinking of what happened on earlier that day…well, yesterday to be precise. The words "I love you". He could still feel the taste of it in his mouth, on his tongue. It felt like the way she kissed him, like rose petals or feathers. It felt like the feeling he got in his stomach or anywhere in his body when she was near, his heart pounding. It tasted like whipped cream and strawberries. It reminded him of honey and toast by the fire. He glanced over at her sleeping figure and suddenly, nothing seemed better than this.

When he arrived there, he carried Sakura into his house first and put he on his couch and then returned for the duffle bags. I was looking forward to our talk tonight, he thought. Well, maybe not looking forward to it. What if she rejects me? Says I'm moving too fast for her or something. I couldn't…wouldn't be able to handle that. Not at all. I just…his thoughts were shifted when he opened the door and saw his couch empty. "Sakura?" He called out her name twice more with the same response. None.

"HEY!" She jumped out from behind the door and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Were you surprised?"

He laughed as he turned around in her embrace. "Yes, a little. So…you're not tired anymore?"

She yawned while she nodded. "Yeah, I still am. I just had a quick little burst of energy I suppose."

"Oh,"he said quietly. "Then I guess you're not in the mood to talk, huh?" She started to say something but he silenced her with a finger over her mouth. "No, it's okay. It can wait until later." He left her then, walking towards his bedroom, without her.

She stood alone in his living room. That was a little odd, she thought. I guess he's been trying to talk to me all night I just haven't said anything. Sakura walked to his room and stood in the doorway. "Li, I…" She watched him gather a blanket and a pillow as she spoke to him. He turned around and looked at her. "Li, I DO want to talk to you. Right now."

"Sakura we've had a long day and…"

"Li,"she said, like it hurt. He instantly felt sorry and his face became soft with care as he could sense the pain in her voice when she said his name. "I want to…to…"

He dropped his bedding and went to her, taking her hands in his and walked over to the bed and sat her down. Li smoothed the hair out of her face and scanned her eyes for a clue of what was to come. "What do you want, Sakura?"

"I want to believe that everything you say is true. That we are taking it slow. I want to believe it. More than anything." She pleaded with him. Get-on-your-knees and beg type of deal.

"Do you not believe me when I say that…I don't care for you?" He almost choked on those words.

She shook her head. "No, Li. I know you care for me. I know that you…love me. And not in a friendly way although you do care for me as a friend. Well I guess more than a friend now…it's just that…this is getting to be confusing." A few tears rolled down her cheek and she looked away from him, unable to look to see if he was crying as well. She glanced at him. He was.

Li Showran hardly cries. Only a few times can he remember but now he wasn't worrying about what Sakura thought of him crying. He was worried that she didn't love him in the way that he loved her. "I know this is confusing and it's my fault, okay? I take the blame! Just don't end this, Sakura. Please! I love you so much. Don't do this. Please, Sakura." She was crying so hard now. She couldn't stop the sobs but she had to hear this. He wouldn't stop now. He had to keep her, hold on as long as he could. Forever if she would let him. "I love every part of you,"he said, holding onto her arm, kneeling in front of her. "These arms. Your face,"he said, holding it in his hands. "These feet and your legs. Everything! They're so much a part of me now I can't let you go,"he explained, wrapping his arms around her waist.

The tears flowed freely down her face now. That was it. There was no holding this in any longer now…

Author's Ending Notes-Okay! So that's that chapter! I know what you might be thinking…cliffhanger right? And don't flame me! Just wait until the next chapter and if you still don't like it then…tough cookies, eh? So anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and review!


	10. Because I Thought You Could Save Me

Author's Note-Now I know the last chapter was a cliffhanger (readers groan) hey! Hey! Hey! I think it makes for a good story sometimes! So here it is, chapter ten. A little warning: this chapter will be a little on the mushy side. But of course, that's a good thing! And as always, review!

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own CCS or anything about it. It belongs to CLAMP respectively. So don't sue me because all my money is stocked into anime videos.

Chapter Ten-Because I Thought You Could Save Me

            Never before had Li Showran felt like this in his life. Everything seemed to be tumbling down around him. Here he was, professing his love to the one person that mattered most and she wasn't saying anything. But the look on her face said enough, almost more than her tears. He could not imagine life without her. "Please, Sakura…please…"

And never before had Sakura saw Li like this. Yes, he had given her glimpses and opened up to her but this…this was a complete outpour of everything. She was emotionally moved. She was feeling the delightful nausea in her stomach. She was dying inside. "Li, don't say those things to me! Don't! You hear me?" She said, grabbing his face and kissing it. Sakura caressed his face and hair, looking over the whole of him and she realized what he was saying. She would miss all of it.

"What are you saying, Sakura?" Li was unsure of what was going on. Baffled beyond belief. He fell off the earth along time ago. "Do you…" He couldn't finish it, either way. Love him or hate him.

She nodded her head. "Yes!" She smoothed the hair from his face, now wet from a few tears and sweat above all. "I love you, Li." They kissed. Lightening struck.

He separated, desperate not to cry anymore. Li was the type of person that would never cry. Not many people have seen him emit this type of emotion. But for once he felt almost comfortable doing it. But he did not cry again. Instead he caressed her face and smiled, resting his forehead against hers. Eyes were shut. The world was put on hold. "I can't believe you love me,"he whispered to her. So softly. "I just about fell off the earth before."

She looked at him. His eyes looked as if someone pierced them shut. "Open your eyes." He did and they backed away but an inch away from each other's faces. "I could never leave you. You're my best friend. My boyfr…" She trailed off and glanced back down and then up again. Piercing his eyes with her green. Hers were the opposite of envy. "Whatever this is I…"

"Why aren't we together, Sakura?" He said, cutting her off. "Why aren't you my girlfriend?" He was totally serious. She tried to back away to rationalize but he pulled her closer. "Be with me."

"What? Li, I don't understand what…"

"You don't need to understand!" He said with excitement and happiness. "Just be with me and only me, Sakura." He kissed her hands and then her lips and held her for a moment. When he released her of their kiss, he still held her tight and hugged her. Kissed her ear softly and then whispered sweetly in it, "Sakura, I love you. Save me."

"From what?" She whispered back. "You're strong enough, Li. You can…"

"No, I'm not. I'm not half as strong without you,"he whispered, kissing her neck, right below her earlobe. "Save me from this world that binds us."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you can be quite poetic sometimes?" She said, giggling.

"Once,"he said, laughing back. Remembering the words Zach had told him once.

She paused and separated to look at him. The smile on her face faded away to one of seriousness. His face mimicked hers soon after. "You know what this means right?"

He smiled. "Yes, I do. And I want it Sakura,"he said, taking her hands in his and kissing them, and then brought them to his chest and held them there. Next to his heart. She could feel it beat behind her hands. "It means I can love you freely and nothing will get in our way…"

"That's not what I meant, Li,"she said, bringing their hands off of his chest. Sakura played with his fingers and rubbed them gently. "Everything WILL be in the way. There are forces already trying to pull us apart. Can't you feel it?"

"That doesn't matter. My love for you is stronger than anything, Sakura. Nothing and I mean NOTHING will ever keep me away from you ever again. I chose to be away from you once…I won't make that mistake again."

She paused for a moment, concentrating on his words. She didn't care what he said. She knew he knew it as well. There were forces trying to pull them apart. Forces seen and unseen. That is why she wanted them to wait. At least a month, maybe more. But there was something in his eyes that said otherwise. Something that proved her wrong. Wanted to prove her wrong. For he vowed that never again he would choose to be away from her. She promised that never again would she let anything destroy something beautiful.

And that's when she smiled. He didn't know what to make of it at first as he watched her look at him and then her hand. She pulled away from him and stood up, turned around and looked down at her hand. "Sakura?"

She turned to him with both of her hands cupped together. Sakura walked towards him and kneeled on the floor next to his bed. "Give me your hand." He didn't hesitate as he extended his left hand towards her. She took it and placed a silver ring on his ring finger since it was too small for most of his other fingers. "Remember when we went on that weekend getaway with Madison?"

He smiled at the memory. "How could I forget? It was a wonderful weekend with you, Sakura." Li kissed her softly but she ended it abruptly, wanting to finish her story.

"I went shopping with Madison on that Saturday and I wanted to get a ring. I don't remember why but this ring just stood out to me. Any other day and I wouldn't have looked at it twice but that day…you kissed me that morning." She traced the ring with her fingers, picturing the memory in her head. "I remember that exact moment. You had just woken up and like it was second nature…kissed my forehead. And when I saw this ring I was drawn to it almost. I know it sounds silly but…"

"Hey,"he said, putting his other hand over hers. "Some people might consider a deck of cards with magical powers a little silly." They both laughed. "Sakura, I think this is perfectly normal." As they laughed some more he released her hands, "I have something for you." Li stood up and went over to his drawer and took out a small box. He took the contents of it out and then put the box back in the drawer. "I've had this for years." He turned around and walked over to his bed and sat down, Sakura between his legs. "I want you to wear it."

She examined the silver ring as he put it on her ring finger. She recognized it completely. "You used to wear this all the time."

"Yeah, before I went back to Hong Kong. But if you haven't noticed already, I grew a lot since then." He wrapped his arms around her from behind and held her hands. Both of them looking at their rings. "I used to wear it around my neck. I never knew why until I returned. I think it reminded me of you. How much I missed you. How alone I was without…"

The next thing he knew, Sakura was in his arms and holding him tightly. "But you're not alone anymore, Li. We're together now."

She finally said the words. It was official now. Everything was coming together perfectly. "You're finally my girlfriend." He had wanted to say that forever. Before it was only a dream but now…it was real. "So, what do you propose we do now?" He asked, standing her up with him. "Are you tired?"

"Not at all,"she responded smiling, holding his hands. She could feel the cool metal against her skin and it made her spirit soar. 

"Any suggestions, my lady?" He brought her close to his body feeling her breathe before him. Sakura starred deep into his eyes and slowly shook her head. After thinking for a moment, he decided that a moonlight stroll wouldn't be such a good idea. It was chilly out and catching cold wouldn't help matters much. So what about the opposite of the cold? He thought as a sly smile appeared on his face and he kissed the girl in front of him. "How about fire?"

An hour or so later, Sakura and Li were snuggled up under a blanket on his couch, a fire raging before them. It was about 2:30 but the pair had lost track of all time.  They sat apart as they told stories and drank cocoa by the fire, as if it was snowing outside. Both with their pajamas on (Sakura in long, green flannel pants and a white t-shirt and Li in a pair of blue fleece pants and a white t-shirt as well), they talked about their pasts…

Sakura tried to stifle her laugh as she tried to continue on with her story, "And so that was the last time that Madison ever tried to film me during field hockey practice! Even for the video yearbook!"

Li was laughing too as he listened to her. "I can't believe you Sakura! Hitting Madison with a field hockey ball!"

"Hey!" Sakura said, defending herself. "It was purely accidental! And it didn't hit her so much as it did her camera. After it almost shattered, Madison assumed that she shouldn't tempt fate again. Needless to say, she hasn't learned her lesson when it comes to cheerleading. Even though one time, at a practice, she was a little too close when I did my tumbling pass and I almost smacked her with my legs!"

Li shook his head. "And all this time I thought you were innocent…" A smile crept on his face at his own little joke but he noticed that she wasn't smiling. Instead, a seductive grin was shaping her lips.

"Whoever said I was so innocent…"She said, suddenly moving much closer to him, practically on top of him. "…didn't know what they were talking about." And just as she was about to kiss him, the fire crackled and spurt some embers onto the wooden floor. Li quickly jumped up and threw the embers back into the fire and added another log for good measure. "I guess we shouldn't tempt fate…huh?" She asked.

            He gave a chuckle as he slowly stood up and walked towards the couch. "I guess but…I don't believe in destiny, Sakura," Li said, closing in on her.

            "You don't?" She asked. A smile crept its way onto her face as she realized what he was doing.

            He shook his head as he slowly descended over her, placing his hands on either side of the couch, blocking her in. "Not really. If things are meant to be then…it will happen regardless. Doesn't mean you can't change it,"he whispered. His breath caressed her ears.

            "Oh, the world according to Li Showron,"she said with a happiness to her tone. As she watched his eyes scan her face, looking from one eye to the next, her tone and voice dropped, to an uncertain whisper. "Interesting,"she remarked.

            "What?" He said, moving in closer.

            "Your eyes. They're so beautiful." She moved her hand slowly towards his face, brushing a strand of hair away from his eyes so you could see them better. But it just fell back into place. He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through her hair, his arm muscle flexed for a mere seconds. It was all driving her crazy. "You're beautiful, Li."

            "In what sense?"

            She placed her hands on his chest and he took a slow intake of breath, feeling the warmth through his shirt. "In every sense,"she said, lowering her hands to the bottom of his shirt and tugging at it. "Every sense of the word. You are gorgeous. Through and through." She started to lift his shirt and slowly lifted it higher and higher until it was over his head but since his hands were still planted on either side of her, it never came fully off…yet. "I can't describe it,"she whispered. There would be no louder talking between them. Just slow, gentle, soothing lines of poetry.

            "If you could manage to put it into words,"he said, standing up and away from her, taking off his shirt. Her eyes didn't move away from him as he threw his shirt on the floor. "What would you say?" Li walked close to her but did not sit down, instead he offered a hand to her. She accepted.

            "Your eyes. The way they can convey so much raw emotion but then…I can't tell what they're saying." Sakura let him pull her towards him as they stood about half a foot apart, holding hands. "Your voice. It could frighten me if need be yet…lull me to sleep." She moved a little closer to him and gently turned him around so that his back was towards the couch. He hardly noticed. "Your mouth. 'Nuff said,"she said laughing. He did as well but then they both stopped abruptly as she walked closer to him, causing him to fall back onto the couch. "The feeling of love. The feeling you give me. I have never experienced such…bliss."

            "Well they say ignorance is bliss."

            "Are you saying I'm ignorant?"

            "No." He shook his head. "What if we're blinded?"  
            "How could that be?"She asked, straddling him, sitting on his lap. He looked up at her and lost all control of the point he was trying to make. Raw emotion was driving him now and like before, he was afraid of moving too quickly and losing her. But now he saw the way her eyes reflected the light, the way the shadows danced across her body, obeying her every whim and desire. This was bliss.

            "We're not ignorant, Sakura. Just…hopeless." She was closer to him now, her hands were all over his well-sculpted chest. She was right. This was different than what he ever felt. There was love and yes, lust but this was different than Selena or any other girl. This was magical. It was right. There were no mistakes. No in-betweens. "I've fallen for you."

            She smiled as she moved towards him and captured his lips in a kiss. Before they both knew it, they were drunk off of each other and just couldn't get enough. More clothes joined the lonely pile started by a question and a gentlemanly gesture.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            How many times had Sakura awoken from a dream and he was not there? This one time made her forget the rest. The rest that he wasn't. Her eyes slowly opened and the first thing she saw was him. Li. Underneath her and thank god…fully clothed. Well…on the most part.

            She smiled as she lifted herself from his bare chest and carefully, as to not wake him, became free of his protective grasp and stumbled onto the floor, getting used to gravity. Sakura then noticed what clothes she had left on. A sports bra and her underwear. As she walked towards the end of the couch and grabbed her flannel pajama bottoms, she struggled to remember what happened last night.

            There was kissing most definitely and a lot of roaming hands getting used to each other but nothing more. Some clothes discarded when getting caught up in the heat of their passion but nothing really happened. Thank God, she thought. I wasn't ready for anything more. Not yet. And he knows it. She remembered a few lines from their conversation.

            _"Sakura,"he said, gasping for air as he broke their kiss. Li noticed that her shirt was gone and he realized he had to say something before it became too late. "I don't want you doing anything you're not ready for, okay? No pressure. I love you very much,"he said sweetly, kissing her softly. "But this feeling of passion or lust, does not even compare to the emotional bond I have with you, alright?"_

_            "Don't worry, Li,"she reassured him. "I may be a virgin, but I know my limits. And thank you for telling me this. It's a comfort to know that you think of our relationship as what you described to me. Because I feel the same way. My love for you comes first."_

She smiled at the memory and bit her lip softly as she turned to him and just looked. "You _are_ beautiful,"she whispered to herself. And with that, she walked off shirtless to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

            Searching the cabinets, she didn't find much. Figures, she thought to herself. Note to self, remind Li to go shopping. As she rummaged around the rest of the kitchen, she decided to make a very non-traditional breakfast: Frosted Flakes and strawberries. She hummed to herself quietly, as to not wake her love from his slumber; Sakura found two bowls and poured the cereal in. After that, she took to cleaning the strawberries and started to cut them up. As she put the slices on top of the frosted flakes, she felt two hands wrap around her stomach and lips kiss her back and shoulders. "Good morning, beautiful,"a deep, sexy voice said to her before kissing her shoulder once more and then resting his chin on it. "Sleep well?"

            "Yes, wonderfully." She poured the milk into the two bowls before turning around in his arms. He buried his head in her neck and just relaxed there, holding her tight with one hand on her upper back and another on her lower.

            "Too lazy to put on a shirt, I see,"he said through her hair.

            "I could say the same about you." She rubbed her hands along his chest muscles and lightly kissed the area under his collarbone. "Are you complaining?"

            "Not at all,"he said, pulling away and kissing her forehead, before taking both of their bowls in one hand and leading her with another to the bay window. He sat down first and spread his legs and motioned for her to sit in between them. She did and took her bowl and watched the world outside of his home.

            "I didn't even notice it was raining,"she said, starting to crunch down on her food.

            "It's a perfect day to stay inside and just…,"he trailed off as he kissed her upper back and shoulder while sighing a 'hmmm'. She laughed and then started to concentrate on where his mouth was. Her bare shoulder, and she could feel his smile. After a moment or two he kissed her shoulder once more and sat back, pulling her along with him and continuing where he left off. He finished his bowl pretty fast and then put it down on the floor before he wrapped his arms around her securely. "I wish we could do this every morning."

            "Yeah, me too,"she said, finishing her bowl and putting it next to his. She leaned back into his arms and kissed the nearest part of it to her mouth. He hummed a soft 'hmmmm' and she giggled softly. "But you know we can't. School will be starting in another week and a half in the beginning of April. After that there are only about ten more weeks of school before summer vacation. And you know what that means."

            He sighed, "I go to Hong Kong." Li hated this. Although he was fortunate enough to live here during the school year and be with his friends, his mother had protested that he still live there in the summers. This meant more training and of course spending time with his mother and sisters. "It's not fair."

            "I know it's not but be thankful she at least let you school here, Li. Otherwise we would never see each other."

            "Well, you got me there." They both continued to stare out the window, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain. "It's almost hypnotizing."

            "Yeah. It is." She jumped up and then turned to him, stretching her arms. "April showers bring May flowers."

            Li laughed. "It's March, Sakura."

            "Whatever!" She said, starting to back up.

            Curiouser and curiouser. "And where are you going?" He asked, walking in her direction.

            "I'm going to take a shower, if that's alright with you." Sakura backed up until she hit his bathroom door.

            "Oh, I see. Care for some company?" Li asked, half joking and half not. Of course he would love to hold her in the warmth of the shower. But they both weren't ready for it and he just wanted to witness her reaction, which would no doubt be a slap or something to that extent.

            "Sure."

            He was wrong beyond a doubt. "What?" He said quietly, watching her open the door and step in.

            "Just kidding." She blew him a kiss. Li just stood there, still shocked. She had acted so calm when she said 'sure'. It was almost believable. "I'll help myself to the towels, alright." He just smiled, shaking his head. "Alright?" Again, just the smile. "Li, what are you doing with that stupid smile on your fa…" He quickly kissed her, catching her by total surprise. "I love that about you,"she said, finally breaking the kiss and shutting the door on him to take her shower. Once on the other side, she leaned against the door and sighed. Everything is going great, she thought. Her smile disappeared. How long can this keep up? She pondered this as she started the water and prepared herself for a nice warm shower.

            While Sakura was in the shower, Li cleaned the bowls from their breakfast and picked up the living room from their mess the night before. How did this happen to me? He thought, while putting a blanket away in the closet and then fixing the couch up. How did I get so lucky? He put the pillows where they belonged on his couch as his thought shifted slightly. Both teams are going to be attending a little luncheon thing at two. He looked at the clock on the wall. That gives us about four hours until we have to be there. "Better find something nice to wear," he thought to himself aloud as he walked to his bedroom. The doorbell rang though, so he went to go answer the door instead. And what he saw, surprised him. "Selena." In a bad way. "What are you doing here?"

            "Um, returning this old shirt of yours. And I can tell you're going to be needing it,"she said, looking at his bare chest. He rolled his eyes and took his shirt and mumbled a 'thanks' before returning back to the inside of his home. Unfortunately she held the door open and walked into the frame of the door. "What's the urgent urgency?"

            "What are you talking about?" Li asked. He didn't want to play any of her mind games.

            "You're practically throwing me out."

            There's no practically about it, he thought. Okay, try to be somewhat civil. "What are you doing here?" He repeated himself. "If you were just returning my shirt, you would have left by now." He paused, glaring at her. "What do you want, Selena?"

            "Can't I stop by a friend's house?"

            This got him mad. "Don't call me that. I'm not your friend. Things haven't changed since the last time we talked."

            "The last time…do you remember that, Li?" Selena stepped from out of the frame and into the house. His house. Li didn't say anything as she approached him, but the anger was building inside of him. "Remember that wonderful day? I sure do. We had just came home from a party and you were a little under the weather. I wouldn't expect any less. It was the first time you got drunk." He looked away from her gaze as she walked towards him more. "We came back to your place to…well, you know…and _she_ was there. You're little cherry blossom. The little bitch…"

            "That's enough, Selena,"he said, releasing his anger. He took a few breaths before calming down. "I died that night."

            "I know. Unfortunately, she wasn't around long enough to clean up your mess. You're always leaving messes, aren't you?" She walked to the cabinet in the corner of his kitchen and took out a coffee mug. "I believe this is mine."

            He watched her carefully as she came to the other side of the table that he was leaning on. She mimicked his position and just looked at him. "You've got what you came for now leave."

            Selena shook her head slowly from side to side and grinned. "That's not all I came for,"she said, reaching for him but he instinctively pulled away. "Oh c'mon!" Her mood suddenly changed and she was getting angry. "Stop denying yourself of what you really want!" Sakura walked into the kitchen with a bathrobe on, hearing someone else in the house.

            Li took her hand and drew her near him. "I've already got what I want,"he stated, pulling Sakura behind him, as if to shield her.

            Selena looked from boy to girl, finally comprehending what was going on. "Oh, I see how it is,"she said. Selena took a few steps forward, confronting the both of them. "Were you still planning on accompanying me to the ball, Li?" He looked away from her gaze. "Oh, how gentlemanly of you. But that's a stupid excuse." Li looked back to her. "I can't believe your still going to the ball with me even though the love of your life is finally…yours." Selena walked towards him and put her hand to his face, but Li just shook it away.

            "I'm only going with you because I promised that no matter what I would. That's the only reason, Selena. Don't read into it too much. You'll be disappointed." Li let go of Sakura and motioned for her to step away and she did. "I will only be your date and that's it. Someone you can show off to your parents but no more. Is that clear, Selena?" When she just stood there with a smug look on her stupid lips, he raised his voice. "Is it clear?!"

            "Crystal,"she said with not an ounce of emotion. "Pick me up next Friday at seven and don't be late either, Li. I don't like to wait,"she said and then started to walk towards the door.

            "And what if I don't?" This grabbed her attention and she turned to him. "Did it ever occur to you that I hate you more than anything? Why would I want to be somewhere with you?" Sakura stepped towards Li and grabbed on to his arm.

            "Li, maybe you should just go with her…"

            He turned to his beloved and just shook his head. "Let me handle this,"he said and then turned his attention to Selena. "I'm not gonna let you come into my house and force me to do this. You have nothing against me."

            She stood where she was and they both could see the anger build into her eyes. "I have plenty against you. I know your little secrets. I know what you say when you think no one else is listening. So don't even begin to get comfortable because I'm probably just around the corner." 

"That's not gonna be good enough this time."

"You're right. But what if your coach found out about how you got drunk and the other little experimenting you did?" Li looked away from her, ashamed. "That's what I thought." Selena walked to the door and grabbed the knob but turned to them for one last comment. "Don't fuck with me, Li." And then she added with a smile. "Nevermind. You already did." She slammed the door on her way out.

            Li went to the couch and sat down. He never planned on her stopping by, much less while Sakura wasn't around. "Shit,"he muttered and then turned to face Sakura as she sat down beside him. "I'm sorry about all this. She was a horrible mistake."

            Sakura watched her boyfriend as he ran his fingers through his hair like he had done a million times before. "We all make mistakes. It's what makes us human." Sakura tried to comfort him but unfortunately it wasn't working. "But what was she talking about, Li? Experiments? You don't mean with…"

            "I'm sorry, Sakura. I'm not the man you thought I was. I'm still a little boy," Li said, burying his face in his hands. "That night was crazy. Drugs and alcohol everywhere. I don't even know what I took or what happened."

            "That's not you, Li. I know who you are. We all screw up."

            "Not with this."

            "Li, it's bound to happen eventually,"she said, rubbing his back and trying to look through his hands to his face. When he finally uncovered it, he looked at her, his eyes were glassy but she knew he wouldn't cry. "Don't worry about it too much. Everything's going to be fine. I promise you."

            "Then why does it feel like I'm burning for this?" He asked her. When she didn't answer him, he just looked at his hands. At the ring she had given him. "Why can't she leave me alone?"

            "I don't know,"Sakura answered. She didn't have much to offer him right now.

            "There's something off about her."

            "Like what?" She asked. He looked to her and she could tell what he was after. "She's definitely not a sorceress, Li. I've already checked her out."

            "Then I don't know,"he sighed as she pulled herself closer to him. There was a long pause as he played with her hair, pondering things. "Sakura?"

            "Hmmm?"She said, looking up. "What is it, Li?"

            He watched her hair fall around her face as she looked at him. He could feel her ring against his skin, the cold metal felt good. And the look in her eyes, the mixture of anticipation for what he wanted and love was just pure bliss. Li smiled at her as he cupped her face. "I love you,"he said kissing her. He wrapped his arms around her back, bringing her closer to him. The cloth robe against his skin felt like moss in the spring.

            Once they parted, he began to kiss her neck and she started to giggle. "I love you too, Li."

            "Thank you for understanding,"he whispered into her neck as he held her tight in his embrace.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

             The banquet was a chance to take a vacation from the happenings as of late. With the speeches, dedications of awards and a 'farewell to seniors' presentation, Sakura and Li didn't have time to think about their dilemmas. When the athletes were finally given a chance to converse, of course this question popped up:

            "So are you two together or what?" Mumbled Zach through his consumption of macaroni and cheese. Chelsea just looked at him and sighed. The other people at the table consisted of Sakura, Li (obviously), Nikki, Rita, Madison ( "The Video Yearbook needs to document this!" "Sure they do, Madison.) and Megumi; the latter four were very interested in what Zach had just asked. For some strange reason, Megumi was just as interested as everybody else.

            "Nice way to be subtle, Zach," Chelsea said, hitting him playfully with her purse. He looked at her as if saying 'what?' "Oh, nevermind!"

            Sakura laughed and then looked at all of her friends. "Yes, we're together."

            "Well it's about time too! We almost gave up on you altogether!" Nikki said, then smiled at her friends. "But seriously, we're all happy for you. We all knew it would happen…"

            "WHEN it would happen was another story,"Rita finished. The whole table laughed at her joke as the food was beginning to be served.

            "I guess I just don't understand," Megumi commented. Sakura looked up from her pasta at her. Megumi seemed genuinely interested. "Maybe someone could explain it to me."

            "Oh sure!" Chelsea answered, placing the napkin in her lap. "Sakura and Li have been in love with each other for a long time you see…"

            "They've been friends for even longer though," Rita added.

            "Right," Chelsea said, agreeing. "But they never told each other how they felt but…"

            "But it was painfully obvious," Rita interrupted again.

            "Yeah, to everyone except them. And by them I mean Li and Sakura."

            "Of course."

            "Right. Of course. So anyways," Rita continued. "We decided to let their love run its course."

            "Big mistake."

            "Exactly. Sakura's so oblivious…"

            "Hey!" Sakura chimed in.

            "And Li's so stubborn…" Rita added, nudging Li.

            "That's a matter of opinion," Li said quietly.

            "Desperate times call for desperate measures!" Chelsea got back on track quickly by covering Rita's mouth so she could finish without going back and forth. "But fortunately, we didn't have to intervene and they figured it out just fine. Knew they would eventually." Chelsea uncovered Rita's mouth and smiled sweetly. "Sorry, Rita."

"Wow," Megumi sighed. "How romantic. So uh, how did you guys meet?"

Sakura and Li looked at each other. Oh yes, Megumi, Sakura thought the answer out in her head, Li tried to forcefully take a bunch of magical cards away from me because he's the ancestor of the most powerful magician even though I am the Mistress of the cards. Yeah, Sakura, that sounds great, she told herself. "We went to school together."

            "I transferred from Hong Kong," Li added, remembering the first moment he saw Sakura. He always could tell she was different from everyone else. It just took awhile to make sense.

            "Well, you know what they say. There are no coincidences. Only inevitabilities."

            Sakura's eyes widened at this comment. Li looked to her and she glanced sideways at him. "Uh, yeah…sure," she said a little shakily and then placed her hand on Li's leg. She started to trace letters on his leg subtlety as she finished her soup.

B-R-5. He tapped her hand as he realized her message. "I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

            "Thanks for the declaration," Zach said. Sakura hit him playfully as she left as Chelsea just rolled her eyes. She mumbled something to herself and just continued to let her fork play with her salad.

            As if clocked internally, five minutes later, Li excused himself ("I think I left my lights on.") and left the vicinity of the dining area in search of Sakura. Another five minutes later, when he couldn't find the bathrooms, as if on cue, Sakura grabbed his arm and dragged him off to a corner.

            "Where were you? I've been going to the bathroom for ten minutes now."

            "Sorry. I got lost." Sakura started to laugh. "What? It's true."

            "I believe you, it's just funny,"she said and then quieted herself, remembering why she had called or more exactly, scrolled on his leg to meet him in the first place. Sakura dragged him down so they were both in crouching positions on the floor. "You heard what she said, Li…didn't you?"

            "Yeah. 'There are no coincidences. Only inevitabilities.'" Li heard a noise and moved closer to Sakura, letting the plant in front of them conceal their presence. "She knows."

            "About what? The cards?"

            Li shook his head and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I don't know. But that's certainly not coincidental that she said that."

            Sakura sighed, "Jesus…this is getting complicated. What does Megumi have to do with all this? I mean…" She was cut off by Li's hand over her mouth. She shoved it off, "Li!"

            "Shhh!" He said, trying to whisper. "Do you feel that?"

            Sakura looked at him strangely but then shook it off as she concentrated on her surroundings. And then it came. She felt it. It sent shivers through her body. "What is that?" 

            "I don't know,"he said, shaking his head. "But whatever it is…there's two of them. You feel it?"

            She nodded and slowly started to stand up, trying to sense where it was coming from. "Yeah, I do…upstairs. In the ballroom."

            "Are you sure?" Li stood up as well, holding her hands.

            "Yeah. My dad held a meeting at this hotel once when I was little. I remember sneaking upstairs to this ballroom they were renovating," she said, looking towards the winding staircase that led to the floor above. "It's definitely coming from there."

            The lights suddenly started to flicker. Li and Sakura looked around to see what was happening but were suddenly masked in total darkness. Except for the moonlight pouring in from the windows, they couldn't see much. "Shit. Not good, Sakura." She brushed past him and slowly started walking towards the stairs. "Sakura?"

            "Li,"she said, turning around. "Go tell Madison to call Kero and Yue."

            "And what are you going to do? Handle two cards at once?" The way she looked at him answered it all. "No way. It's too dangerous."

            "I have my cards, I'll be fine."

            He walked up to her and grabbed her hands, "Are you sure?"

            "Yes. Just hurry."

            "I will,"he said, kissing her forehead. "Be careful."

            "I will,"she said, mimicking what he had said. That always caused him to smile and he almost felt a little better leaving her alone with two cards.

            As she watched him run towards the dining room, she couldn't help to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was something odd about the presence upstairs. Something not right at all. "Please hurry, Li,"she said, even though he would never hear her request as she watched him vanish into the darkness.

            The staircase looked more threatening than ever. Definitely not the image she remembered as a child. Sakura reached for the pendant around her neck and prepared to call the words, but they would not roll off her tongue. Swallowing them whole, she hesitated. "I don't like this,"she told herself. Glancing at her ring that Li had given her and then shifting her gaze to the key, she smiled slightly and closed her eyes. "Key of the Star with powers burning bright, reveal the staff and shine your light! Release!" Sakura gripped the staff tightly as she threw a card in front of her, "Glow! Release and Dispel!"

            Now being able to see, Sakura could ready herself by discarding her cardigan, revealing her black velvet tank top. As she walked up the stairs, her long black skirt flowed behind her, Glow showing her the way. Once she turned the corner, the stairs were gone and upon further investigation she figured that it wasn't the work of a card, but carelessness. "I guess they never did finish renovating."

            Sprouting wings with the help of The Fly Card, Sakura easily made it over to the other side. As she landed and the wings disappeared from her back, her eyes wandered to the large set of doors in front of her. Suddenly she felt like a little elf compared to the giant pieces of wood, covered with dust and cobwebs. Upon closer examination, she noticed a set of handprints. "These were recent." She put her hands up to the prints, almost an exact match. "I wonder…" Sakura reached out and as her fingertips were about to reach the handle, the doors swung open slowly without a touch.

            The scene before her was amazing. "It's just like with the first card…" And it was indeed. The room was not a room at all but like a different world. The walls were still intact but it was consumed by growth of vegetation, various types of plants and trees. The left part of the room had an environment much like a deciduous forest while as she moved her eyes to the right side, it slowly faded to a grassy field. This is what she could see, but like the rest of the hotel, it was shrouded by darkness. A wind blew from her north and flowed through her hair. A sweet breeze. She held onto her staff tightly as she watched a pair of eyes focus on her. Bittersweet.

            Even though it was dark, Sakura could still identify what was coming at her and she almost mistook the creature for Keroberos. It looked much like a sphinx from the Greek mythology stories in her father's library, with a face of a human, wings, and the body of a lion, though definitely very feminine. What sign is this? She wondered. I never read anything about a sphinx at all. But maybe… "You're Leo aren't you?"

            The sphinx smiled, almost a smirk as if she didn't care and then lowered slowly to a crouching position. Sakura watched the lights flicker on the ceiling and in that moment, the sphinx disappeared. Sakura turned in circles, looking for the creature. This couldn't be good. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something else move. As it stepped closer to her, it looked like a centaur, with the bottom of a horse or bull and the top of a human….a woman. But in the instance it came, it too was gone and now Sakura was fully alert, prepared to bring out a card at anytime.

            And then at the same time, they both appeared before her, almost working together. Two cards at once. Could she manage? Pulling out The Dash Card, she quickly called upon its aid before almost getting mauled by the sphinx. Definitely not as nice as Kero but it sure shares his appetite, she thought as she ran around the room and quickly up a tree. Big Mistake. The centaur-looking beast stomped her hooves, manipulating the earth. Craggy rocks jutted from the ground and shook the tree, making her fall out of it. Luckily, she called upon The Fly quickly enough.

            How long can I keep this up before they get here? She thought. Turning to look at the door, she noticed that it wasn't there anymore. Nothing was. The ceiling was gone and so were the windows and walls. "It's like another dimension," she said while flying higher. There was the sky open above her and miles upon miles of land around her. "This isn't good at all." Sakura looked at the two beasts below her while trying to figure out a plan. But the creatures would not wait any longer…

            The centaur woman started hurling fireballs at Sakura which she dodged as best as she could. There were so many of them coming from different directions, it was so unpredictable! Trying to fly under the circumstances, she pulled out The Watery and called upon it, "Release!" The Watery showed its teeth and enveloped the centaur woman quickly but it was not having the same affect. The Watery was a powerful card and shouldn't have much difficulty against the opposite element, but for some strange reason…it was. 

The sphinx, nowhere in site, Sakura flew down to the ground and as soon as her feet touched, the wings disappeared and she held her staff high. "You are…" Truth be told, she had no clue. It could be The Capricorn…The Goat…but wait…she noticed two blue curled horns that the color matched her skin and body and then she knew. "Taurus! Return to your power confined! Star Card!"

            The Taurus smiled softly as she spoke, "Yes. I am The Taurus. The Bull…in a slightly different form. But know this Sakura…I am always one step ahead of you. Always." The Taurus turned into wispy blue strands and flew to the card and let it take shape, then floated to its mistress's hand.

            Like the other cards, The Taurus had some of its body missing. Her tale and part of a leg. Sakura put the card with the rest of hers and then grabbed her staff tightly, surveying the area for the sphinx. Instead, she saw a red spot on the ground. Blood? She looked over herself and found a few scratches but nothing bled. Upon approaching the item, she knew what it was. "The card…The Leo, but…how? I didn't…" When she went to pick it up it, the card flew past her and into the tree directly behind her. Turning around and walking closer to the tree, Sakura could barely make out the figure in the darkness. She saw a pair of legs and crossed hands in fingerless black gloves but not much else. The figure's black cloak was surrounding most of its body but Sakura was not mistaken when she saw the red card against the material. "Did you transform that card?!" The figure ignored her comment and receded into the darkness slowly and then disappeared altogether.

            Sakura looked to the trees, searching them for an answer but then finding none. The walls came back though, the ceiling and windows as well but the landscape did not change and the room seemed darker than before. The trees changed shape and the grassy area that was green before became overrun with swampy plants and mist. Sakura turned around, surprisingly coming face to face with the hooded figure. It was too late to move because the figure was already behind her, one arm around her waist possessively and another over her mouth. 

            She stood like this for what seemed forever, listening to the deep breathing behind her head and then near her ear. The figure slowly moved to the front of Sakura, slowly letting go of her grasp but she could not move still. Sakura watched as the figure backed away, holding out the card as if to taunt her and then it disappeared like a magic trick. The figure stood there for a few moments, arms and legs completely covered now, doing nothing except for standing. It was the most frightening scene Sakura had ever witnessed, watching this ghost of a creature in front of her, just standing there. Neither advancing nor walking away…just standing. Looming, peering through its hood and watching her. The hood started to cave in and Sakura watched as the heavy cloth fell to the ground. Whatever was in it before had escaped but not before causing Sakura to bleed. She could feel some blood flow down her arm and trickle onto the ground next to her. It wouldn't be the last time either.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wendigo-So? How was it? Good? Bad? Freakiest thing you've ever seen in your life? (I love The Emperor's New Groove. So good! So good!) Anyways…back on the path of righteousness…review!!!


	11. The Ring Of The Snake

A Little Note From The Author: So here it is, chapter eleven. Time sure goes by in a blink doesn't it? It's already January! Imagine that! I'm sorry this took a little longer than expected but I have my senior project to work on and unfortunately, that comes first. But enough of that and on with the story!

Disclaimer: CLAMP, respectively, owns all rights to the characters, original story, etc. I'm just "borrowing" them for my story.

Thank You: To all the readers: non-reviewers and reviewers alike, you truly add to the inspiration. Thank you to each and every one of you and please know that I always smile when I read your reviews. This is for you. And to a certain reviewer: How can you do your schoolwork with a cliffhanger? I don't know…just wing it I suppose, but _smile_…the next installment is here.

Chapter Eleven: The Ring Of The Snake

            The mist started to thin and soon it altogether disappeared.  The trees and vegetation started to shrink away to the wooden floor, once transformed into dirt.  Sakura stood in the midst of this, watching this happen, gripping her upper right arm with her left hand by instinct.  Still not noticing the blood, it squeezed its way through her fingers and descended down her arm, collecting at her nails and then falling to the floor. Everything was gone now. The swamp had left her with only memories and a cut. "Sakura!" She turned her head slightly and watched as a certain personal Chinese savior of hers came running to her. "Are you alright?"

            Turning to Li, she nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay."

            "Sakura! You're bleeding." He went to her side and peeled her left hand off her upper right arm to examine the wound. He tore off a piece of his dress shirt and wrapped her wound up carefully. "What happened to you?"

            She looked into his eyes. "Where's Keroberos? And Yue?"

            "Madison couldn't get her cell phone to work but now she's outside with everyone else. The manager evacuated the building in case of an electrical fire. The power's gone too. It's like that for blocks." Once he finished wrapping her wound, he tied it tightly. The white piece of cloth was getting soaked with red. "Sakura, what happened?"

            She took a deep breath, trying not to focus on the pain. "It was like with the first card, Li. Like a jungle. There were two cards: one looked like a sphinx and the other like a centaur."

            "Leo and Taurus?" She nodded. He was so smart. She loved him for that.

            "I finally caught the Taurus after some difficulty but the Leo…" She paused. Visions of the hooded figure starring at her were embedded in her mind. "The Leo was captured too…but by someone else."

            "What? What do you mean by someone else?" He looked at her in disbelief. "Is that even possible?"

            She shook her head. "I'm not sure. But someone in a cloak captured The Leo. Someone with a very strong aura. It's…hard to believe, I know but…"

            "Don't worry, Sakura. I believe you," Li said. Sakura noticed a long blade of grass in his hand, the only remnant of what had just occurred. "I felt something strange when I was running back to you. I first mistook it for the power of the cards but…it wasn't." Li took Sakura into his arms and started to guide her through the doors. She suddenly stopped. "What's wrong?"

            "Nothing. Just that…the stairs are here."

            "But they weren't before?"

            "No."

            He laughed softly. "Well it makes it easier to leave now doesn't it?"

            She smiled. Li could always make light of a situation to make her feel better. "Yeah. Let's go home."

            "Of course."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            Outside, Madison was still trying to use her cell phone but it wasn't working. "Stupid machine,"she muttered, hitting it against the light post and then trying again. After no such luck, she threw it back into her purse and waited for Sakura and Li to come out, hopefully unscathed.

            She looked around and noticed that most of the people had already left. Rita and Nikki had just waved goodbye to Madison before taking off in Rita's car. Most of the athletes were gone as well but the coaches still remained. Strangely, Chelsea and Zach were still there. She made eye contact with them and Chelsea ran over to her. "Have you seen Megumi?"

            "No, I haven't. You can't find her?"

            She shook her head. "No. It's like she disappeared." 

Madison looked away from Chelsea in thought. "That's…strange."

"Yeah, I know. But uh…if you see her, tell her I'll be waiting by the entrance, okay?"

"Sure, no problem." Chelsea thanked her and then ran off to Zach who was still looking around for the missing girl. Megumi, Madison thought. Sakura said she felt something strange from her…I wonder if she had anything to do with the cards?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            A figure moved through a long hallway, floating quickly and silently along the corridor. Turning a corner, the figure came face to face with another figure in the hallway, also hooded in a long, black cloak.

            "What are you doing here?" The figure stopped floating but remained silent. "What are you doing here?!"

            "You know what I'm doing here!"

            "Then why didn't you answer me?"

            "Why do you ask such foolish questions?" Both were silent for a few moments. "I know exactly what I'm doing. Just stay out of my way."

            "No! You need to leave this place and leave these people be! You hurt that girl back there!" The other figure was silent. "Didn't you see her blood?!"

            "Of course I saw her blood!" The voice became more silent and much deeper as it spoke again. "I don't want to see your blood either."

            The figure stepped back. "Are you saying that you would hurt me?" Silence. "Would you hurt me?!"

            "I don't know!"

            The same figure that had just stepped back almost growled in anger. "Listen to yourself! You sound crazy!"

            The other cloaked figure laughed softly, "No more than you."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            Li checked to make sure that the police weren't nearby before he disappeared from whence he came. A moment later, he emerged with Sakura, huddled underneath his coat. He guided her as they ran from a side door and tried to slip away un-noticed. If someone saw them, especially a policeman or one of the firemen or emergency technicians that had arrived shortly after the hotel was evacuated, it would certainly stir some trouble. They tried to creep away undetected. "Hey!" Too late. "Stop!"

            Li stopped in his tracks and shielded Sakura close to him as he made up false stories in his mind, 'She's my sick sister!' or 'Forgot to take her pills. Ya know how narcoleptics can be.' But thankfully, he didn't have to use any of his (rather pathetic) made-up stories. "Madison." Sigh. "Thank God it's only you."

            "Li, you make it sound so awful when you put it that way,"she joked. But upon seeing Sakura… "Oh my God! What happened to you?!"

"It's not as bad as it looks, Madison," Sakura said, whispering. She was hoping if she kept her voice down that Madison would follow suit and be a little quieter.

"But you're bleeding!!!" Madison, I suppose, was a non-conformist. "What happened?!"

"Calm down, Madison," Li said, trying to settle down the storming best friend/protector. "I'll explain later. But we have to get out of here." Li started to help Sakura towards his car but Madison grabbed his arm. "What is it?"

"Megumi's missing."

This grabbed Sakura's attention. "Since when?" That name had sparked some lost electricity and had given her new strength.

"I'm not sure but Chelsea can't seem to find her." Madison stepped a little closer to both of them. "Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing her after the time the power failed. And you know what that means."

"She was absent during the entire fight with the cards," Li said. He looked around, trying to see and feel any unusual magical presences but he found none. He held Sakura up with one arm and then motioned to Madison with another as they started walking to Li's car. "The person who captured the other card and injured you, Sakura…do you think it could have been Megumi?"

"Wait! What?!" Madison circled over to Sakura's left side and continued the conversation. "Other card? What other person?" Li and Sakura filled in the gaps of what she didn't know as Sakura was put into the back of the car with Li as Madison manned the wheel. "So this hooded figure…do you think it was her?"

Sakura watched Li unwrap her bandage as she tried to visualize the black-robed figure. It wasn't too hard, though. The memory was fresh and deeply burned into her mind. "I'm not sure if it was her or not."

"It's certainly possible," Li remarked, tearing off another piece from his dress shirt and rewrapping her wound.

"Anything's possible at this point." Li nodded, a silent 'yeah' escaping his lips as he finished with the cloth and then embraced Sakura. She smiled despite of the pain she was feeling in her arm and smiled. "This keeps getting worse. There are only more questions and absolutely no answers to follow."

"Only dead ends," Li said, rubbing her gently to try to comfort her.

"There have always been dead ends, Li. It's just that this time…there can't be any. There is no room for mistakes."

"I understand. It's just not your life on the line though. It's all of ours." She looked up at him. "Me, Madison, Kero, Yue…"

"Li," she said, hushing him with her finger. "I know that. We're all risking our lives doing this and I'm grateful for your help but…that's not what I meant."

"Then…what?"

Breathe, Sakura. Breathe. "Not only are our lives in danger but…my mother's is too." Slow, deep breaths. "I need her, Li."

"I know you do, Sakura."

            Fifteen minutes later, Madison pulled into Li's driveway and quickly got out to assist him with Sakura. After she was bandaged and resting on the couch, Li walked Madison to the door. "Thanks for helping us."

            "It's nothing, Li. I would do anything for either of you and you know that." They hugged goodbye and she gave him a slight peck on the cheek. "Are you still going to call Eriol tonight?"

            "Yeah," he turned to Sakura and ran his fingers through his hair. She was staring at the fire he had started. "I don't know what's going on but…" he said, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. "Eriol could help."

            Madison nodded. "Of course he could…and he will. I know it may not seem like it sometimes but I know he cares for all of you and wouldn't keep any information if it meant harm for any of you."

            Li smiled and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah. Eriol's a good guy. I'll be sure to call him."

            "Okay. See you later."

            "Bye."

            He waved to Madison and put on a smile for her even though his insides wouldn't allow him. "Sakura," he said softly. She looked up to him as he sat down next to her. "You okay?"

            "Better. The pain is gone." He brushed her hair with his fingers and finally his heart would let him smile. "Can I have some more of that tea? It's very relaxing."

            "Sure. Of course." Li took the cup from her hands and went to the kitchen to open another packet of the tea. Pouring the water from his kettle into her cup, the steam surrounded his face, warming it. Deciding he might need a little relaxation too, he poured himself a cup and sat down next to the one person that could wipe away everything. Give him a clean slate. Just what the doctor prescribed.

            "Thanks, Li. It's good."

            He smiled warmly and rubbed her leg. "No problem."

            They both sat on his couch, sipping the tea and starring at the fire. It was a trance. The flames were dancing back and forth and if you looked at it long enough, the flames almost could transform themselves into ballet dancers on the logs. But as soon as the tea was finished the dancers vanished.

            "Maybe we should call Eriol now," Li suggested, leaning over to her.

            She leaned a little as well and softly kissed him. "Not now." Sakura took his arms and wrapped it around her waist, although he didn't need the encouragement.

            "Sakura…"he moaned. She looked at him. "I should call him."

            She fell back onto the couch and snuggled up with her pillow and blanket, "Okay," she mumbled. "Wake me after you're done."

            "We'll see about that. You need your sleep."

            "O…" She yawned, cuddling up to the couch even more. "…kay."

            He laughed silently as he reached for his phone and book. He flipped to the "H" section and quickly dialed his number and then put the red book back on the table as the phone rang.

            "Hello, Li."

            God, I hate it when he does that! "Hi, Eriol." I can almost feel him smiling on the other line. "Uh…how are things?"

            "You don't have to occupy the space with small talk, Li," Eriol laughed. "Is there something you want to ask me?"

            "As a matter of fact…there is." Li stood up and moved to the kitchen to not awake Sakura. Sitting at the table, he continued, "Sakura dealt with two more cards today. The Leo and Taurus. She caught the Taurus but the Leo…someone else caught it."

            "Someone else?"

            "Yeah."

            "Who?"

            "We don't know. Someone in a black-hooded robe."

            "Is that all?"

            "What do you mean is that all?! Someone else is after the cards as well, Eriol! This is getting even more complicated then we originally intended! Now what the hell is going on?!" There was silence on the other end of the line for a few moments. Li couldn't even hear Eriol's breathing. "Eriol?"

            "I don't know, Li. It could be anybody."

            "Well, there is one girl in question."

            "What's her name?"

            "Megumi. Well, it's the name she told us anyways."

            "I see. And have you sensed any magic from her?"

            "Yeah. She's got a strong aura." Li thought for a moment, contemplating on something else. "She cut Sakura's arm without even touching it."

            "Did Sakura see her capture the card?"

            "No. She just said it appeared." There was more silence while Eriol scanned his brain to what or who this person could be. "Eriol, Keroberos and Yue don't have much of a clue. This is sort of a last resort type of thing. And these cards are wasting Sakura's energy too. I can feel it. We need answers…fast."

            "But it's not that easy, Li. This Megumi character could be anything from a witch of the dark arts to an enchantress to…jeez I don't know…just about anybody. The list is endless. I need more information."

            "Like…what?"

            "Many clans and tribes usually have a way to identify each other. Sometimes robes or other symbols. If you could find a symbol somewhere on her body, a birthmark even…that would help me narrow it down."

            "A tattoo even?"

            "Yes. Especially a tattoo."

            "Okay. We'll check it out…somehow."

            "Anything else you need to ask me?"

            There was a pause as Li thought. "This person that caught the other card…it was definitely apparent that this person could manipulate the space around them."

            "And it wasn't the card?"

            "Nope. Sakura said that her surroundings consisted of a rainforest before it turned into a swamp. That's when the hooded character scared her."

            "Scared her? You mean attacked her?"

            "Not really. It cut her arm but besides that…it wasn't violent. Not yet anyways."

            "Hmm…that's interesting."

            "What is?" Li asked.

            Eriol took off his glasses as he started to go in-depth. "Usually characters of the dark arts can be violent and often manipulative. Be careful, Li. The attacks should become more frequent and are only going to get worse. This person will stop at nothing to get what it wants. Sakura is very powerful, Li but she's not a master at her trade if you know what I mean. She's still learning. One master of black magic can pose quite a problem for her."

            "Okay. Thanks, Eriol."

            "No problem. Be sure to contact me if things become too much. I might have to take a trip to Reedington, Japan."

            "Of course," Li agreed. Then he remembered something. "Oh uh…Madison told me to say 'hi'."

            "Oh, how sweet of her. Return the favor."

            "Course. Bye Eriol."

            "Goodbye." Click. The line was silent on the other end. Li walked over to the receiver and put the phone on it lightly, then turned his attention to Sakura. Laying alongside her, he kissed her gently, accidentally waking her up. She turned her body to face him and they wrapped their arms around each other as their legs entwined under the covers. "I talked to Eriol," he whispered.

            "Yeah? How is he?"

            Li chuckled softly. "Wouldn't say actually. Although he did tell me that he has no clue who could be doing this. Doesn't know about Megumi or anything. But he did say that there's one way to tell."

            "What?"

            "A mark of some sort. A symbol, sign. Birthmark or a tattoo maybe. He said it could narrow it down."

            She yawned. "Good. Now let's sleep."

            "Sakura," he sighed.

            "I'm tired, Li," she fake-pouted. "Can we talk about this tomorrow? It's been a long day."

            He kissed her forehead. "I know," he whispered in her ear before pulling her closer as they tried to sleep the night away.

            Unbeknownst to the sleeping pair, a dark shadow sighed. As it floated down from the roof, it blended in perfectly with the dark surroundings it cherished. They're starting to suspect something, it thought. The black-hooded figure turned to the window and watched the couple sleep. I better watch them more closely. Things could become more complicated shortly. Very shortly. The figure went out to touch the glass and with its magical abilities, the hand went right through it, feeling the warmth of the inside contrasting to the cold outside. Sakura rustled in her sleep and the figure retreated its hand and backed away. She can sense me, it thought. Even in her sleep. Very powerful indeed. The hooded figure floated away into the night, the clouded sky covering its escape. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            The next morning, Sakura awoke with a pounding headache. She groaned as she sat up and looked around her. The first thing she noticed was the smell of eggs and bacon coming from the kitchen as well as a tune…a whistling tune…a very shrill whistling tune. "LI!"

            "What?! Are you okay?!" Li dashed out of the kitchen and slid over to Sakura. He was still in his pajamas and from his Tom-Cruise-Risky-Business move; she guessed that he had just cleaned the floors as well.

            "It's not that big of a deal it's just that…I have a headache and your whistling is making it worse and uh…" Sakura looked over his clothes and saw him in his boxers, t-shirt and a flowery apron complete with a chef's hat-also with flowers. And what was worse, he wore oven mitts that looked like lobsters. Big. Bright. Red. Lobsters. Of course any sane human being would laugh.

            "What? What is it?" Li was generally confused but as he looked over his clothes, his expression was likened to that when you are caught saying something stupid or when you find out your fly has been down for the last two hours and nobody has said anything to you. "They're Meilin's."

            "Sure they are," she laughed as she stood up and walked over to him to inspect his outfit. "This is so funny, Li! I never knew that you liked lobsters this much…"

            "Sakura you don't know…"

            "No, I think I do…darling," she emphasized, poking at his flowery chest. "What I would like to know is when did my boyfriend get in touch with his feminine side?" He rolled his eyes playfully and kissed her cheek quickly before he went back to his cooking duty in the kitchen. Sakura followed suit and stood next to him while he cooked scrambled eggs. "Need any help?"

            "Nope. I'm fine." He only glanced at her while he concentrated on doing a million things at once. The eggs, waffles, sausages, bacon and other smells filled the air around her as she watched him tend to each food item. "Chelsea called me this morning and asked if we wanted to go out for breakfast."

            "What did you say?" She asked, watching him scramble the eggs. He almost looked like a pro…save the big red lobster mitts.

            "I said no. You're still weak and I just thought it wouldn't be a good idea. But I did invite them over here, hence all the food. Hope you don't mind." He offered her a smile, hoping it would make her a little balanced. Li would have asked her but she was sleeping and sleep is what she so desperately needed. Checking on her every so often, Li cooked the food but sometimes caught himself looking at her for more than just moments. She seemed so peaceful when she was sleeping…is that the same as vulnerable? He didn't know, but whatever it was, he liked it. When he saw her, he couldn't think of anything else. Could anything be better than this?

            "Of course I don't mind. I'm glad that they could come,"she said, smiling back at him. He smiled back but then probably felt his cheeks burn, for he turned away from her. Sakura giggled before she got up to go set the table, but it was already done. He must have woken up early, she thought. Just then the doorbell rang. "Must be them." Sakura walked over to the door and opened it. "Good…" Megumi. "…morning."

            "Good morning,"she said in a sing-songy tone. As if she was in the chorus of a musical or something. Probably The Sound Of Music. How anyone could be this cheery at nine o'clock in the morning was beyond Sakura. "Chelsea and Zach should be here soon."

            "What happened to them?" Shit, Sakura. Not great wording, huh? You make it sound like Megumi did something. Smooth. Real smooth, she told herself. "I mean…what's keeping them?"

            "Chelsea thought it would be nice to get your mail and newspaper for you this morning. Of course, Zach stopped to talk to this kid on the sidewalk about the origins of sidewalk chalk. Not too interesting if you can imagine it."

            "Oh…I sure can." Megumi stepped inside and Sakura shut the door after her.

            "Mmmm. That sure smells wonderful." Megumi took off her coat and then hung it up before she took off for the kitchen. "Is that blueberry waffles I smell?"

            "Hey, Megumi," Li said, glancing to Sakura, a private message to see if she sensed anything strange. She shook her head and he continued with his conversation. "Made them from scratch."

            Megumi walked quickly over to Li and checked out his cooking from behind him. She was standing quite close. A little too close, thought Sakura. And she was just about to say something when… "Hey Sakura!" She turned to see Zach waving to her happily while Chelsea was behind him, shaking her head and mumbling something along the lines of 'he's so juvenile.'

            "Hi, Zach. How are you both?" She walked over to them and guided them inside, shutting the door behind them.

            "We're good but are you feeling any better?" Chelsea asked her, looking a little concerned. Zach left the two to talking while he walked over to Megumi and Li ( "Did you know that the waffle originated in Belgium over three centuries ago when a princess…") Chelsea glanced at Zach and then turned back to Sakura, groaning. "Don't mind the village idiot."

            Sakura laughed. I miss this kind of thing, she thought. This is normal and…non-life threatening for a change. "I'm doing fine now."

            "What happened, anyways? Li didn't say."

            Sakura scanned her brain for an excuse…any excuse! "Um…" Oh, c'mon, Sakura. It's not that hard, she told herself. "Um I…fell and cut myself. It's not a big deal or anything. Li was just a little worried." Chelsea smiled at her. "What?"

            "Nothing. It's just that…" she sighed happily. "Li's a good boyfriend."

            Sakura smiled too and was positively sure she was blushing too. She opened her mouth to talk but there was a scream to block her voice. Turning towards the sound, she noticed Megumi was clutching her arm. Sakura also noticed that blood was seeping through her fingers.

            "Are you alright?" Chelsea asked her as she ran to her side. "What happened?"

            "It was an accident," Megumi said. She didn't look like she was in too much pain, Sakura thought as she joined them. Almost as if she was…acting.

            Sakura looked to Li and he explained. "She was helping me cut up the fruit and she was doing it so fast it slipped on the wet cutting board." He looked at the wound and then back at Sakura. "It's not too bad. Just a small cut. It just needs to get wrapped."

            She didn't know why, but Sakura put an arm around Megumi's shoulder. "I'll fix it. Don't worry." Li gave her a weird look but she smiled at him as if saying, 'it's alright.'

            In the bathroom, the water was running as Sakura looked through the cabinet for some bandages. Megumi was sitting on the rim of the tub, still holding her cut. "I'm really sorry about all this. I didn't mean to…"

            "It's fine. Not a big deal, right?" Sakura said, cutting her off. She could feel her voice was a littler sharper than normal. But why shouldn't it be? Megumi was being suspected of cutting her just the day before. And she had to have done it. Who else could it be? Sakura thought to herself as she found some antiseptic and a few bandages. But I can't go assuming it, she thought, her expression on her face became a little gentler. There's no hard evidence yet. She could just be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

            Sakura looked at Megumi and then made a decision. "You're going to have to take off your shirt." Megumi was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. "I can't wrap it properly."

            "Oh…right." She stood up uncomfortably but was still holding her cut, looking a little nervous. Sakura turned around. Megumi obviously was very modest. "Thanks."

            "Yeah…sure,"she mumbled. Sakura glanced into the mirror to see if she was having any difficulty. Megumi sure wasn't as she slipped off her shirt with ease. "I have a few extra shirts on the rack behind you."

            "Right. Thanks." Sakura was hardly paying attention as she shut off the water as soon as it had filled the sink. She checked the water and it was warm enough alright. I hope she's not taking my good shirt, Sakura thought as she looked into the mirror. Megumi was but that's not what bothered her. On her back there was something red and it wasn't blood.

            A coiled snake around a ring of red words. It was unmistakable. It was a tattoo.

Author's Note: Okay, I know the chapter was a little on the short side but…I'M SORRY! I've been so busy lately and I know that's no excuse but…I'm using it as one. He he…sorry. Anyways, um…I'll try to get the next chapter out quickly. I would have made this one longer but I haven't put up another chapter in god knows how many weeks. Well I'm back and expect another chapter sooner. And as always…review!


	12. The Grand Ole Opry

Author's Note: Hey everyone! Well here's the next installment. And I have a little announcement: the chapters are going to be a little shorter than they have been in the past. This enables me to get them out quicker and it should satisfy you, John or Jane Reader. But in the end, I should have more chapters than expected and don't worry (if you are worrying, that is), the story will not be jipped of anything important! Just because I'm busy (and quite frankly…uh…lazy), means nothing. Anyways, on with the show!

_One quick little note: I've started an update e-mail list. So if you want to be notified when I update my story, just review (you don't have to say anything, just leave your email address)._

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and anything to do with the Clow. They belong to CLAMP, respectively.

Chapter Twelve: The Grand Ole Opry

            Sakura couldn't believe what she was seeing. A tattoo of a red snake with a ring of red words around it in an ancient tongue. The words were red and outlined in black; each letter seemingly written with the same loopy characters. Was it the same word or a series of words? She couldn't tell, but she immediately averted her eyes once Megumi turned around once more.

            "I'm finished." Sakura looked to Megumi in the mirror and then turned around to look into her eyes. How could she seem so…so nice but then do such horrible things. If Sakura wasn't in her right mind she would have called upon her key. Fortunately for Megumi's sake, she was sane at this moment and restrained herself.

            Sakura saw a little bit of blood on her shirt. One of her favorites that she had had for years. As if reading her mind, Megumi looked at the stain. "I'm sorry. I'll be sure to get the stain out." Sakura smiled as best she could under the circumstances but found it hard because she wanted to just scream. She felt as if her smile were false advertising.

            Sakura took the antiseptic bottle and put a little bit of the liquid on the cloth before rubbing it on Megumi's arm. She winced but Sakura didn't care. She deserved the pain. Secretly, Sakura knew it was only time too before she gets what she deserved. If only I knew what I was up against, she thought, I would attack her right now. But I can't walk into a fight blindly. Not this fight. Too dangerous.

            "Thank you." Sakura looked up from Megumi's arm. "You don't know me at all and you're helping me." Megumi smiled at her but Sakura felt like punching her in the face. "It's very kind of you."

            It must have been something in Megumi's face because Sakura didn't look back down at her arm. She seemed genuinely thankful for Sakura's help. "It's not a problem." But then she saw something else. A gleam in her eye, the slight curve of the left side of her smile, the calm in her voice, made that genuine feeling subside.

            Sakura looked back down at Megumi's arm and then started to wrap it. She never looked at her face again before she left the bathroom. And even during the brunch, Sakura didn't look at Megumi. Even after the food was cleaned up and the group was sitting around the table, telling stories, Sakura didn't look at her. She didn't want to see the look in her eye, or the curve of her lip that was a smirk in itself, but especially the calmness and serenity in her voice. It was almost un-nerving.

            Li must have noticed too, for he placed his hand over hers under the table and stroked it softly. He could always feel when she was uneasy; a balance off the scale. She was very grateful for it.

            Just as Li shut the door behind Zach ("Did you know that the door was first invented by a wandering monk in India?"), he leaned against the door and looked over to Sakura. She was sitting on the couch and seemed to be quite happy that they were gone. Well, more like relief.

            He was about to make his move towards her but she stood up and went to him. 'She's got a tattoo' is what she would have said, but instead something quite different came out of her mouth. "I don't feel well." It was only when she was lying in bed and he was drawing her bath did she think about why she lied to him. She knew what his reaction would be. Call Eriol. It's important. Let's go after her. Stay in bed. I'll take care of it. And that was the problem, she thought.

            Yes, she loved him. Very much, indeed. She would catch a shooting star for him and breathe life into his lungs if they were ever empty but…it was this love that she thought about not telling him about the snake and the words. He would become too worried about me, she thought. Li always worries. Sakura looked to her ring that he gave her, the silver reflecting her face. I could have gone out for breakfast this morning. And then she remembered further back to last night and then to the hundreds of nights before when she had gotten hurt. It's inevitable, she pondered. I'm not going to be okay forever and he needs to accept that. With that decided, she sat up in bed with a newly found determination. There's no need to alert him, she thought, over a silly little tattoo. I'll do some research myself and if I come up with anything, only then I will tell him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            That night came and went, and the next night, and the one after that as well and it was only when Sakura looked at her calendar did she realize that it was Friday: one week since it all began. Nothing had happened as of late. She usually hung around with her friends and spent some time with Li (of course!). But the next set of days after she had seen Megumi's tattoo had gone by in a blink of an eye. Sakura hadn't even thought about researching it until she found herself alone in her house on the early morning of this Friday.

            Li was spending the day with Zach while Madison was away as well. And Sakura, for the first time in a long while, was at her house…alone. Well, almost alone. Yue had gone back to the university to make a small appearance as Julian before coming back in a few days. But Kero was still at home and she finally got to spend some quality time with him and maybe even discuss Megumi's tattoo if she couldn't come up with any answers. Of course it wasn't really quality time. Not only if you considered that to be making food for Kero. He was the only one to think of it as such. Sakura liked to refer to it as "slave-driving."

            "Kero?" Sakura asked, between stirring a cupcake mix and trying to keep him away from eating it right there and then. "Don't you find it strange?"

            She batted him away hard enough so that he floated a good few feet away from it in the air, with his legs and arms crossed. "What's strange, Sakura?" She was about to continue but he interrupted her. "The fact that I'm hungry and you refuse to feed me? Of course I find that strange."

            "No, Kero." Sakura added a little bit more milk before continuing. "I mean, why haven't any of the new cards showed themselves as of late? It's been over three days since I've seen a new card." Kero decided to get over his stubbornness and started to seriously pay attention to her. "They were coming everyday and now there's no sign of them. It's like they almost…forgot."

            "If it's one thing that cards never do, it's to forget, Sakura," he said, opening the Sakura Book and taking out the new cards: The Aries, Taurus, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius and Aquarius. "Besides, you captured half of them already."

            "No, I didn't Kero. I only caught five." Sakura finished pouring the cupcake batter into the molds and put them in the oven to bake. She walked over to Kero and took The Leo. "I didn't capture this one." She looked over it, as if pondering something. "I wonder if it even recognizes me as its master."

            "Of course it does, Sakura!" He looked at The Leo but then saw past that to a more deeper matter at hand. "Is something wrong with you?"

            She turned away from him and went to go check on the cupcakes. "No."

            "That wasn't very convincing," Kero stated, flying next to her. He put his tiny paws on his hips and looked her straight in the eye. "Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to pry it out of you?"

            Sakura looked at Kero for a moment before she hoisted herself up onto the kitchen counter. She sighed before starting up the inevitable conversation. "I lied to Li."

            Kero was a little baffled. Why Sakura was telling him her "relationship problems" was beyond him but as her guardian and friend he decided to just try and help the best he could. "Um…Sakura…uh…there comes a time in a young girls…I mean…woman's life that uh…okay let me start over. In the course of humanity…um…"

            "Kero." He jerked his little head up to her eyes. She wasn't smiling but she did seem a little amused. "It's not like I want to have sex or anything." Kero instantly felt very uncomfortable but that all subsided as she started to explain. "I lied to Li about something that has to do with the cards and I…don't know why."

            "Uh, Sakura. I don't want this to come out the wrong way but…why don't you just call Madison about these things?" Again he was referring to her "relationship problems" but then he looked at the expression on her face. Only then did he realize what she had really meant. "What did you lie to him about?"

            Sakura took a deep breath. "I saw a tattoo on Megumi's back." Expecting Kero to yell at her for not only not telling Li but not telling him too, she paused. But when his outburst never came, she continued. "I didn't want him to know because…well, I guess it's not that big a deal I mean…"

            "Of course it's a big deal but this goes way beyond a tattoo and the cards, Sakura." She looked up at him, her eyes watery. "I know you don't want him to help you."

            "Kero, I do…"

            "No…you don't." She could feel the tears flow down her cheeks. It was like someone told her she didn't love Li. But she did! She loved him so much. Why was Kero saying this? "And you're secret's safe with me but…he's part of our team. We need his help." Sakura thought about this and realized it was true. They did need Li's help. She needed his help. "I won't tell Li about the tattoo but the moment I see that you're in too deep…he's going to know."

            Suddenly, all of her reasons for not telling Li seemed very childish. As Kero flew out of the room, mumbling something about going to Madison's to play with her new X-Box, she decided to start researching for a meaning behind this tattoo. The faster I find something out, she thought, the faster I can tell Li.

            Down in her basement, Sakura quickly found herself looking through book after book in her father's library. After a few hours, she decided to go to her bedroom and plopped down on her bed, exhausted. "You would think that my father being an archaeologist, that he might have some clues." She sighed once more as she stretched her arms out over her head. "You would think,"she said again, very sarcastically.

            She looked out the window just in time to see the last bits of sunlight fade away into the night sky, letting her room darken up quite a bit. Sakura stood up from her bed and walked to her table where she flicked on a lamp, lighting up her entire room. Thinking of another way to research, she sat at her chair and let her eyes wander. Looking at her computer screen, she thought of the internet. "Might as well,"she said aloud. "What have I got to lose?" Reaching for her mouse, she was about to wash away the screensaver but stopped as her interest got the better of her as she watched a scrolling marquee cross the screen: SAKURA IS A MONSTER FROM THE FIREY PITS OF HELL. LOVE TORI. "Love you too, dipshit,"she mumbled to herself. As she was about to storm off into Tori's room to write a "loving" message on his computer, the phone rang.

            "Hello?"

            "Hey, beautiful."

            A smile spread across Sakura's face. "Hey, handsome." Hearing Li's voice erased all her present anxiety along with a sudden need to be near him. "When you coming over?"

            There was a pause on the other line of the phone. "Well, that's what I was calling about." Sakura felt her heart slow its pace from his original "hey, beautiful". "I'm gonna crash at Zach's for the night." There was another pause before he continued. "We haven't spent a lot of time together lately and…"

            "Li, it's okay. He's your best friend." Sakura sat back down in her computer chair. "You don't need to give an explanation to me."

            "I know it's just that…"There was yet another pause but this time, to adjust his voice and to possibly move into another room. "With all the new cards around,"he continued, whispering. "things haven't been the best."

            "Well, they've been pretty good under the circumstances,"she said. Their love for each other had definitely been a lifesaver. She could feel him laugh softly on the other end of the line. A nice happy laugh.

            "Zach was just on the phone with Chelsea and they got in a fight. She sounded pretty mad but I'm going to go pick her up in a few minutes so they can work this out."

            "What did they fight over?"

            "I dunno. Something about the history of Canada." Sakura laughed and then heard his happy laugh again. God she missed him. "Listen, I gotta go now but I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon. I promise."

            "Okay. Sure."

            "And then we can go out to the festival."

            "The festival?"

            She heard him laugh again and it only made her miss him more. "Yeah. Tomorrow's the Lantern Festival at King Penguin Park remember?"

            And then it dawned on her. As well as the fact that she needed a new kimono for the occasion. And then the thought came that Madison probably already had prepared one for her. "Oh! Right. Okay. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

            "Of course, my love."

            "Goodnight."

            "Goodnight. Bye."

            "Bye." Sakura pressed the "off" button on her phone before setting it in her lap. How could only hours seem like weeks? Was it because the moon seemed to laugh at her when she was alone? But unbeknownst to Sakura, time was about to speed up rapidly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            The hours flew by and when Sakura finally looked at her clock, it was already 10:30. She wasn't feeling sleepy at all, probably due to the fact that she had spent all night keeping herself busy.

            After getting off the phone with Li, she checked the cupcakes and then threw them away (they were very burnt indeed). Following the cooking disaster she proceeded upon cleaning the living room downstairs (after finding numerous dust bunnies) and then emptied out the refrigerator (after finding numerous molds, fungi and empty Chinese takeout containers. All proof that Tori had, indeed, been here at one time or another). Afterwards, Sakura then cleaned the bathroom and her room and after feeling proud of herself for her work decided to treat herself to a little bit of "Tori-bashing" by leaving a nice little message on his computer screen: TORI, WHY BOTHER GOING TO COLLEGE WHEN WE ALL KNOW YOU CAN'T KEEP A JOB? YOU WILL ONLY AMOUNT TO NOTHING. LOVE, SAKURA. And after the little encouragement note she left her lovely brother, she flopped down on her bed and looked at her clock.

            "Now what?" Sakura looked around her room for something to occupy herself with. There was her computer but she had beaten all the games on it. But then there was her books but she had read all of them (most of them twice). And then something else had caught her eye. On her desk was a piece of paper with a picture on the front. Lazily but with interest, she got up and went to examine closer. It was a postcard.

            "Daddy." She looked at the front quickly before turning it over. Sure enough, it was from her father.

                        _Sakura,_

_ I hope things are going well for you. The excavation is a week behind schedule. _

_Some unfortunate occurrences have delayed our deadline but if all goes well,_

_I should be home within a few weeks. But until then, I send my love._

_                        Love,_

_                          Your Father_

_P.S.-I'll try to call you on your birthday._

A small tear escaped her eye as she put the postcard back on her desk. The combination of missing her father and the complete forgetfulness of her birthday had caused her to sink to her knees. She had forgotten the Lantern Festival and even her field hockey game before that but now she had forgotten this of all things. It must be these new cards, she thought. All this adventure has finally gotten to me.

She opened her windows into the night sky and let a cool gust of air sweep into her room. But then she felt something entirely different.

"A card." She scanned the darkness and tried to focus where it was coming from but couldn't. "Which card is it?" She wondered.

Grabbing her rollerblades and a cloak that Madison had given her, she skated towards the card as fast as she could. Upon summoning her key, she came to where she felt the card: The Opera House. Hiding quickly behind a large bush, she tried to figure out a way end and that wasn't going to be an easy task. Hundreds of cars were parked outside and the lights of The Opera House were all shining brightly. Looking at the clock near the top of the roof, it read almost eleven. The opera would be done soon enough but anything could go wrong if a card was inside the building amongst thousands of people.

Now all I need to do is to get inside unnoticed, she thought. Coming up with a plan, she grabbed a card from underneath her cloak. "Illusion,"she whispered. "Dress me for the opera." Sakura tossed the card up in front of her and struck it with the tip of her staff. "Illusion!"

Minutes later, Sakura had managed to sneak through the gates and up through the front entrance. Climbing the stairs, she finally caught hold of herself in the mirror. She was dressed completely in black, with a long, black, sleeveless, satin gown with matching gloves, shoes and purse. As she examined her look more closely, Sakura saw a flash of yellow behind her. I could have sworn I just saw…

"Kero!" She grabbed her little guardian from plain view and shoved him in her purse. "I thought you were at Madison's!"

"Well I was for about a whole five minutes until I realized she wasn't home. So then I went to the university to check up on Yue." Sakura turned around and saw Yue, wearing a black tuxedo with a silver tie. His hair only went to the middle of his back, probably to not focus anymore attention to himself. He was also wearing shoes which for Yue was odd. "Hi Yue."

"Hello Sakura."

She turned back to Kero in her purse and continued the interrogation. "Did you sense the card?"

"Exactly. The only question is which one and where…"

"Madam?" Sakura quickly shut the purse and turned to her left where a man was standing. "Would you happen to be Ms. Asuka? Party of two?"

After a quick moment, Sakura devised a plan. "Uh…yeah. Sure," she said, dragging Yue next to her. "That's me. Ms. Asuka. And of course my husband…uh…Mr. Asuka."

"I'm sorry to hear about the car accident and if there's anything we can do to help you, The Reedington Opera House is at your service. Right this way, please." As the man led them up a flight of stairs, Yue looked at her and she just shrugged her shoulders. Of course she had no idea who Ms. Asuka was or anything about a car accident but if it got her some free seats for a chance to spot the card, she was going to take them.

At the top of the stairs there was a long corridor that he guided them down, to the last box. Opening the curtains, he ushered them through. "Enjoy the show, madam." With that said, he left.

"Or what's left of it, you mean," Sakura said as she took Yue's arm and walked farther into the box. She didn't find any seats but instead, a winding stairwell to what seemed to be a loft. "Well, let's go then."

They climbed the steps and Sakura was in awe of the beauty of it all. The red and gold draperies, the red velvet seats and even the gold opera glasses that she had always seen in movies. It was all there. Even the…

"Food!"

Sakura unlatched her purse and let Kero fly to the back of the room where a tray of French entrees were placed. She laughed for a moment before her and Yue took a seat. She even tried to enjoy the opera, but between thinking of the card and Kero's outbursts of joy every so often, she couldn't concentrate on the love scene on the stage. And when she did concentrate on it, all she could think of was Li.

"Maybe I should have called him."

Kero flew over, seemingly satisfied with what he ate and hovered near her shoulder. "Who? Li?" She nodded. "I thought you didn't want him to be involved?"

She looked down into her lap at the program and started tearing at the edges nervously. "I do want him involved, Kero."

"I know you do," he said softly with a touch of care in his voice. He floated down so that he could look her in the eyes. "But don't worry about it. You'll do fine."

"Yeah. Okay." She put a smile on her face and then actually enjoyed the last half hour of the show.

Madame Butterfly had moved her to tears with the tragic love story it portrayed. Even when the curtain had long since closed and the applause had died long ago, she was still affected by it.

"Sakura." She looked over to Yue with her tear-stained face. "The people have gone. Most of the lights are out. I think it's safe to find the card n…"

A loud noise came from behind him. Sakura stood up and walked to the edge of the box. A single spotlight shown on the stage, the source of the loud noise. At the center of the spotlight stood a tall woman with full black hair that was a little lower than her shoulders, seemingly in dreadlocks of some sort. Like Sakura, she was dressed in black but the material was rougher and there were tears in her long full dress. She looked like she was wrapped up like a mummy throughout her arms and torso. With her eyes closed, you could see the dark red eyeshade that consumed her whole eyelid and then steamed out vertical towards her hairline. As her eyes opened, they were a shocking dark brown, almost swallowing the pupils.

Kero and Yue stepped towards Sakura, stopping right behind her. "What card is that?" She asked them, not knowing if they could answer her question.

"I don't know,"Yue commented.

"I would say the Virgo but I doubt that's how a virgin dresses…"

"That's it!" Sakura looked over the woman's costume. The black tattered appearance but her skin looked sleek, like a shell. "She's a scorpion." Grabbing her key and transforming it, she yelled out, "The Scorpio!" And while this was occurring, Kero changed into Keroberos while Yue's hair began to grow and he dawned his wings and shoeless feet. Oddly enough, Sakura's opera attire also vanished and she was back in her normal clothes: a pair of khaki, tight pants, black boots, cranberry t-shirt and her black cloak.

Sakura put her foot on the edge of the balcony for leverage as she grabbed The Fly card. "Let's go get her." But as she was about to call on The Fly card's aid, she felt another presence. Turning to her left, she saw it. All the way in the last box, a black hooded creature had it's foot on the balcony as well, but it's face was turned towards the Scorpio. Was this creature Megumi? Or someone else? She had no clue but the aura was becoming stronger. Just then, the black hood turned towards Sakura, not at all shocked, though Sakura surely was. Neither moved for a few moments but as she saw the creature jump from the balcony, Sakura didn't have to think twice as she summoned The Fly. "Fly card! Release and dispel! Fly!"

She jumped over the balcony and flew down to the stage but not fast enough. The black-hooded being grabbed the Scorpio and put a sword up to it's throat. Blood was dripping onto the floor but Sakura couldn't tell whether it was from the menacing creature getting poisoned from the scorpion or if the card was bleeding, if the card could bleed. Either way, she wasn't sure.

The black-hood turned towards her and a set of steel-clawed fingers pointed to her and Sakura instantly fell from the air. Fortunately it was only a few feet before Yue had swooped down to save her. Keroberos and him were both talking to her but she couldn't make out what they were saying. A card had failed her. That had never happened before except with The Hope. What was this creature?

As Sakura watched the scene unfold in front of her, she felt her heart go out to the card. Although the Scorpio had gotten loose from the black-hooded figure's grip, they were now in a desperate battle. The Scorpio was throwing thousands of needles at the figure but they didn't work against the sword it had. Finally, the figure stabbed the card in her arm and it turned to stone and slowly faded away. In it's place a card appeared, with the yellow color that a normal Clow card had but then it faded to a blood red and then to a hard black.

It happened so fast, Sakura thought that she was in a dream. If this were so, then not a pinch, but the beckoning call from the demon before her made her awaken. It whispered to her in a voice unrecognizable.

_"If you want it, you must fight for it."_

Sakura just stood there, watching the blood drip down from the silver claws from the black-hooded figure. Again it called.

_"If you want it, you must fight for it."_

As if in a trance, she summoned The Sword card and raised it to meet the black-hood. Sakura didn't even heed Keroberos and Yue's warnings but their voices seemed to fade into the distance as she made her way to the stage. With each step she took, The Opera House became darker, the lights falling asleep one by one.

"Who are you?" She asked. An answer she did not receive but instead, a raised sword.

Sakura didn't know who struck first but it didn't matter. A bright silver sword hit the ground, breaking in half and then disappeared. Silver streams of wind, whisked back to the card Sakura was now holding in her hand. Not meaning to speak aloud she said, "It…failed?"

_"If you want it, you must fight for it."_

And with one quick move, the figure pierced Sakura's arm, the opposite one to which she was injured before. And then with another quick move, the figure was behind her. Sakura couldn't move as metal hands grabbed her newly injured arm and began carving something into it, the blood ran down her arm furiously now, worse than ever before. The pain was deafening, if that is even imaginable.

Then Sakura was face up, on the floor. Her blood was making a small puddle next to her and her vision was becoming a little blurry. She looked up to the black-hooded figure and saw it with the card in one hand, the sword in the other. The last thing Sakura saw were the lights beginning to awaken and the black-hooded figure disappear, whispering in it's harsh voice:

_"If you want it, you must fight for it."_

Author's Note: Okay, so that's it. Look how fast I came out with that one!!! I'm so proud of myself. Anyways, if you want to be on my mailing list, just request it and of course I'll deny it. Just kidding, of course I'll accept it. And as always, reviews are appreciated but not necessary.


	13. Optimism Versus Pessimism

Author's Note: Well, here it is. Chapter Thirteen. Oooh. Kinda…unlucky. Anyways, enjoy the story and as always, review! And speaking about such things, I'm not getting as many as I used to but you know what: it doesn't really matter because I write all my stories for myself and if one person reads it then I'm happy. So yeah!

Disclaimer: Do I own Cardcaptor Sakura? Let me count the options: No, no, no, no, no…this belongs respectively to CLAMP.

Chapter Thirteen: Optimism Versus Pessimism

            When Sakura finally awoke, the first thing that she noticed was the absence of light. Only a small candle flickered in the corner of the room, the flame drowning in the melted pool of wax. She tried to sit up in the bed and was successful, but not without feeling a little dizzy. After regaining her composure, she looked at her arm that had been stabbed. A white bandage was now over it. Further down that arm, near her wrist, there was another white bandage there too, but this one had a little bit of blood at the surface.

            With caution, Sakura slowly stood up from the bed. It felt like she had pins and needles in her feet but the more she stepped around, the better it felt. She grabbed a long silver robe and put it on carefully, trying not to disturb her bandages too much and cause further pain. At this moment she realized that someone had changed her clothes and that she now was wearing a pair of light green and white striped pants and a matching white t-shirt. All it did was remind her of Li.

            Speaking of Li, she wondered where he was and looking around the room, it didn't seem like his. Curiouser and curiouser, she exited the room and walked out into the hallway. There were paintings on the walls but she couldn't make them out in the little light she had that shone through the windows. She walked down the corridor towards the spiral stairs and began to descend them carefully, trying not to slip and fall. Wouldn't that be grand, she thought.

            When she got to the bottom, she could see and feel a fire. The flames casted shadows that paraded around the room, showing off their dancing skills. Sakura looked around the room and most everything was made out of wood (except for the furniture and fireplace of course). There was also a set of sliding glass windows and beyond that…

            "A lake." The waves crashed silently onto the shore while the reflection of the moon bobbed on the water below it. She looked around her surroundings one last time and took in everything around her. "Where am I?"

            As if on cue, she heard the sound of a door open and turned around to greet whoever was behind it. A small smile appeared on Sakura's face as Madison stepped through the doorway, letting the door shut behind her. In her hands was a wet towel, probably for Sakura's head.

            "I was just coming to wake you up." She was silent for a moment as she stood by the doorway, looking at Sakura, but her attention was focused onto her bandages. "Are…are you in any pain?" Sakura shook her head. Madison walked over to in front of the couch where her best friend was standing. She remained quiet as she just looked at her; the only sound they could hear was the crackling of the fire as the logs rearranged themselves. "I was so worried," she began. "For awhile the bleeding wouldn't stop…even from such a small cut, I…" Madison cut herself off as Sakura reached for her hand.

            "It's alright. I'm fine now." She didn't have to lie this time for she really was feeling good.

            "Are you sure?" Madison asked. The glaze in her eyes from the tears building up began to fade away.

            "I'm sure." Sakura smiled, the only reassurance she could give right now. "But, there is one thing."

            "What?" She asked quickly.

            "Do you have any food in this place? I'm starved!" There was a silence at first but then both the girls started laughing as Madison led Sakura into the kitchen.

            "This place," Madison began as she poured some yogurt in a bowl for Sakura. "isn't too far from Reedington. Probably twenty minutes or so." After putting some fruit and granola into the bowl, she walked over to the wooden table and sat down opposite of Sakura, placing the bowl in front of her friend. "Yue carried you to my house a few hours ago in his arms. I knew we couldn't stay at my house, though. My mother would become too suspicious of your wounds so I had to bring you here. After that, we tried to find Li. I knew he would want to be with you." Li. He had crossed Sakura's mind earlier but now was the first time she really thought about him. She wanted him to be here, right now, holding her.

            Madison must have read Sakura's thoughts for she explained next. "We couldn't find him at first and I…"

            "He said he was with Zach and Chelsea and…" She could tell by the look on Madison's face that "he wasn't there?"

            She shook her head. "No. We couldn't contact Chelsea or Zach so Yue and Kero went to go find him. He might even be looking for you right now. Li's a smart kid and he probably sensed something wrong earlier, he just doesn't know where to find you."

            Sakura looked up from her empty bowl and past Madison to the window outside. At the base of the window she could see that the sky was beginning to look lighter. It would be dawn soon. "That thing has a card now."

            Madison nodded. "I know. But don't worry, you have six out of the twelve cards. That other guy only has one."

            "Yeah," Sakura sighed. "I guess you're right."

            "Ohoho, on the contrary, I know I'm right." Sakura laughed while Madison just smiled at her. "Besides, just try to be positive about things." As Sakura rolled her eyes, Madison protested. "Now I know it's hard but, you'd be surprised how an optimistic view of things would make everything seem as right as rain." As she stood up and grabbed her keys, she took Sakura's hand, "I promise you, it'll be okay."

            Sakura smiled. "Okay." And as she noticed the keys… "Where are you going?"

            "I have to go retrieve my sewing machine." Sakura lifted an eyebrow and Madison explained. "Someone only has half a dress for tonight's Lantern Festival."

            "You think I should still go." More of a statement than a question really.

            Madison began to put on her black coat, "Remember, positive attitude, Sakura. Right…as…rain."

            "And speaking of rain, Madison…" Sakura pointed out the window to a light shower outside.

            "Oh, great," Madison sighed as Sakura laughed. 

            "Whatever happened to that positive attitude, Madison?!"

            "It got flushed out along with this rain. I'll be back in about an hour!"

            "Okay! Bye!"

            Madison waved quickly as she darted out the door, stepping in mud puddles no doubt as she ran towards her car in the rain.

            Sakura walked to the door and watched as Madison backed out of the driveway and finally left it, driving down the street at a great speed. "She always drives too fast," Sakura said to herself as she watched the rain pour from the sky onto the ground below. The rain was heavier now and there was a terrible wind outside. The lights began to flicker and she turned around, watching the bulbs on the ceiling fade and spring back, to and fro. "Alright, alright…I get the point."

            After shutting off the switch, Sakura sat on the couch, watching the fire. Her mind wandered to Li. It always did. Is he looking for me right now? She thought. She swore at herself, "Damn you…you should have called him before you left for the opera. You should of." Sakura could feel her eyes begin to overflow with tears. What if he was out looking for me and he ran into that…that…that thing? I couldn't even handle it. Even with my cards, she thought.

            Needing something else to look at, Sakura walked over to the back porch and sat down in a green, comfortable chair. As she watched the rain make ripples in the lake, she came to a verdict: "This is never going to end." And she just wasn't talking about the rain, but this whole affair. But then she thought of Madison's positive attitude ideals. That's just too optimistic, Sakura thought. I, however, am a realist…this is just never going to end. Okay, maybe I am a little pessimistic.

            _Wham_. Sakura jumped a little in her seat at the noise. What was that? She thought. The door? She walked into the living room slowly. Sakura saw the door wide open; the screen door was flapping in the wind. "That's odd," she thought aloud as she went to go shut the large, oak door, keeping the storm outside, where it belonged. And that's when she heard the footsteps upstairs and then a voice, "Sakura?!" Was that Li's voice? It sounded a little groggy. "Sakura?!" Again she heard it. It was Li all right.

            "Down here, Li!"

            For a moment she didn't hear any footsteps but then all of a sudden she was bombarded with the sound of someone running down the stairs. "Sakura!" In a few, quick strides he had crossed the distance between them, taking her into his arms. "Oh, Sakura…" There was a pause before he continued, talking softly yet very seriously. "Are you okay?"

            "Yeah, I'm fine." Sakura released her hold on him so she could look at Li. He looked worried. "Really, I'm okay. Just a scratch. But that's not important right now, Li. That other thing captured a card and like Eriol said, it's only getting more aggressive each time I encounter it."

            "I know." He walked over to the couch, releasing her hands in the process. Something didn't seem right. She sat down next to him, noticing that he was wet, probably cold. It looked like he had been up for days.

            "Li, I…"

            "I couldn't find you. I looked everywhere." She wanted to say something but just let him continue. "I even tried to sense your aura but I couldn't. I couldn't feel you." He looked to her and then decided to drop the subject. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

            "Positive."

            He moved towards her, unwrapping her dressing to look at her cuts. They were healing but like Madison said, she must have bled a lot. He smiled. "Aren't we optimistic?"

            "On the contrary…" she smiled. He looked a little lost by her comment but she expected he would. "Nevermind. Let's just…" He moved even closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, kissing her forehead. "Yeah," she sighed. Looking to her left, she noticed that not only had the rain halted but the sun was rising as well. "Look." He turned his head towards the windows, watching the first rays of the morning appear over the hills beyond the lake.

            "It's going to be a beautiful day." He kissed her lips softly before taking her into his arms once more.

            Maybe I can be optimistic, she thought. Just this once.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            "Oh no! This can't be!"

            If this wasn't a sight to see. Madison was scrambling over Sakura's Lantern Festival dress, almost in tears; Li was working with Zach on their History project while Chelsea was trying to calm down Madison. This was definitely, at the least, very chaotic.

            "How could I, practically a master at fashion designing and the like, screw this up?!" She quickly ran to a box of thread, containing all the colors of the rainbow and then some, picking through it rapidly. She suddenly stopped, her facing turning pale white. "I can't believe it!"

            Chelsea tried to comfort her. "What? I'm sure it's not that bad, Madison."

            "Oh, no. It's much worse." There was a slight pause before Madison screamed, "I'M OUT OF WHITE THREAD!"

            Now, over in the corner, Zach and Li had a stack of books around them with calculators, pens and pencils (with the erasers burned out), and a trash can full of paper next to them.

            "Zach where's that book on the French Revolution?"

            Looking around the stack of books and then under the table, Zach came to a conclusion. "I think I returned into to the library. Why? Do we still need it?"

            "Yeah. And the one on the Spanish Conquistadors and the one on the Holocaust and the…"

            "Oh jeez…we needed those too?"

            Sakura sat in a chair against the wall, watching her friends attempt to figure out their problems. Needles to say, it wasn't going smoothly. Standing up, she made an announcement. "Madison, I'll retrieve your thread and Li, I'll get the books you need."

            "Are you sure?" Madison asked.

            "Yup. I haven't been out of the house all day." She shot a look towards Li. He had insisted she stay at the cabin but after the rain stopped it had begun to look like the beautiful day that Li had predicted. Sakura finally coaxed him enough to let her out of the cabin but he thought she might need to rest some more so they trekked to Madison's house. After that, she didn't know how, but Zach and Chelsea had come over and now chaos was under control. "So, I'll get your white thread…"

            "Great!" Madison grabbed a piece of paper and wrote some items down. "Now, don't get the eggshell white or the antique white, I need the pearly white. And it has to be the shiny stuff, not the dull. And make sure you get it from Jongs and not from Lindos, theirs is more reliable."

            "Okay. Pearly white, shiny, Jongs. Got it." Madison handed Sakura a piece of paper with the information.

             "Here's a list of the books we need. It's only these three so it shouldn't be too hard to find." Li smiled at her. "You're so wonderful, thanks." He kissed her before handing Sakura the list with their call numbers next to them. 

"Oh! And Sakura?" Chelsea walked up to her this time as Madison backed away to try to finish as much as the dress she could without the thread and Li went back over to sit with Zach. "This is all coincidental and I'm so glad you're going to the library because Megumi's there!" Li heard that name and stopped working to look over at Sakura. She returned the glance quickly before she looked back to Chelsea. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Uh…sure."

"Just tell her where I am and that she can go on and meet us all here before we head off to the lantern festival at seven." Chelsea smiled before heading off to Madison again. "Thanks, Sakura!"

Walking out of Madison's room, Li followed her. "Are you sure you want to go?"

"Of course. I need some fresh air and she's not going to do anything in public."

Li kissed her on the forehead quickly and squeezed her hand before going back to Madison's room."Be careful, Sakura."

            "Always am." 

She grabbed her beige sweater on the way out the door, just in case the wind picked up again, thankful to be out of the chaos and alone for a few moments.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            An hour later, Sakura found herself standing in front of Reedington's Public Library. She had already visited Jongs after accidentally going to Lindos and now she was ready to pick up the books Li and Zach needed for their project. "They owe me big time," she told herself as she walked up the steps of the library and walked inside.

            The library in itself was huge with shelves of books everywhere over the span of three floors. Desks with the classic green lamps were stationed in almost every space imaginable on the bottom floor while the second floor had more of the older and special books and the third floor was dedicated to all the nonfiction and fiction books of the past couple hundred years. I always remembered this place to be intimidating as a child, she thought. Now I know why. This place is gigantic!

            Knowing it would take at least another hour to find all these books she walked right up to the librarian's desk; the one with the large green and white HELP sign over it.

            "Hello, may I help you?"

            "Yes, I need these three books, please." Sakura handed her the list of books. "They were returned only returned within the past few days and my friend needs them for a few more days."

            Scanning over the list, the librarian put on her glasses. "The call numbers tell you where the books are, my dear." After Sakura didn't respond to her statement, she continued. "So you don't need my help." The librarian handed her back her list and returned to filling out overdue book slips.

"I'm in a hurry so if you wouldn't mind…" The librarian, Ms. Caldwell, looked up from her glasses and her overdue book slips and gave Sakura the look of death. "…so if you could please help me, it would be much appreciated." Sakura gave her the list again and Ms. Caldwell grabbed it from her. "It is not my job to assist so next time, find it yourself." Sakura assumed that Ms. Caldwell must be either blind or allergic to children because there was a huge, very noticeable HELP sign right over her desk. As the librarian turned to leave, Sakura walked over to one of the chairs next to a shelf of new release books and sat down in it, waiting for the snotty librarian to return.

            "Sakura?"

            She turned to the call of her voice and saw Megumi sitting at a table nearby. She got up from her seat and walked over to Sakura, books in hand. From what Sakura could tell, they were about the Medieval time period. Oh, that's right, Sakura thought. She has History with Zach and Li. "Working on your project, too?"

            Megumi looked down to her books and smiled. "Yeah but I finished so I just need to return these. I even got to read for pleasure but…what are you here for?"

            "Oh! Um…I needed to get some books for Zach and Li…for their History project. And I have a message for you. Chelsea said that you can meet her at Madison's house after your done here and at seven you can accompany us to the Lantern Festival."

            "I can't wait until the Lantern Festival, Sakura. I've never been to one before and Chelsea even bought me a dress. It's so beautiful, I bet you'd look good in it too." Megumi smiled again and that made Sakura feel sick. She has no right, Sakura thought. If she even thinks about ruining tonight's festival, she'll regret the day she came to Reedington. "Anyways, I best be going."

            "Yeah, probably." Sakura said, standing up. The librarian came back just now and Sakura retrieved the books and kindly thanked her.

            "Are you coming with me, Sakura?"

            "Oh…uh…" C'mon! Get out of this! Sakura looked around the library for some sort of excuse but then something caught her eye. At the same desk Megumi was at, a piece of paper was still lying there. Of course this sparked an interest in Sakura and she wanted to know what Megumi was looking at for her 'pleasure reading'. "I have to look up some more books for myself…uh…English book report on uh…Chaucer so you can go on ahead."

            "Alright," she said, almost sounding disappointed. "You want me to bring those books to Li and Zach?"

            "If you want." Sakura handed the books to Megumi. "I won't be long," she said, almost as a warning to not try anything.

            "Okay then, Sakura. Have fun!"

            "You too…bye." She watched Megumi leave the vicinity of the library before darting over to Megumi's desk. Sitting down, she read the writing on the paper: "Call number-1208.35, ltd." Sakura looked over to the signs near the entrance of the library and walked over to it. On a large poster titled: CALL NUMBERS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, she skimmed it for her book:

                        1-200: New Releases

                        201-400: Librarian's Picks

                        401-600: Reference

                        601-800: Nonfiction

                        801-1000: Fiction

                        1001-1200: Atlases, Self-help books, misc., etc.

                        1201-1300: Limited and/or Restricted section *

*Refer to librarain for permission. On the recievement of access, a key will be issued. Do not, under any circumstances, skip steps one and two! Ones who do not obey will result in the suspension and possible expulsion of library privileges.

            "Refer to librarian for permission?" Sakura looked over at Ms. Caldwell, lecturing a boy on the definition of defacing a book and how it does include drawing grotesque pictures on the inside covers. "A key will be issued? Fat chance…"

            After a short debate of whether she should risk the possible suspension or possible expulsion of library privileges ("I hate Ms. Caldwell anyways…"), Sakura walked up the two flights of stairs to the top floor. At the back of the room was a glass cabinet with books of dust (and probably even mold), lining the shelves. "Jeez," Sakura thought. "Has anyone been given a key?" Thinking about Ms. Caldwell, the ancient librarian with even older morals, probably not.

            At the edge of the cabinet was a keyhole on the glass but it apparently wasn't serving its initial purpose because the glass was opened. Sliding the glass open even more, Sakura searched for the book with the call number 1208.35. After a few moments, she found it and pulled the large, black leather book from the shelf and read the title: "Symbols Of Past and Of Present." Opening the first page, the copyright date was 1896. "Present? This book should be called Symbols of Past and Of Later Past." Flipping through the first couple of pages, Sakura was baffled. "Now why would Megumi want this?" Her answer literally fell from the pages. On page 109, the book opened rather easily, suggesting it had been open here recently and for a long period of time. Skimming the contents, Sakura was surprised at what she found. It explained the origins of tattoos. She read aloud:

            "…and many tribes of the occult and so forth use symbols to not only identify each other but so others can identify them. Notice in the story of…" The rest was of no importance right now so Sakura turned the page and what she saw shocked her beyond belief. At the top of the page was a very clear picture of a red snake with a ring of black words around it in an ancient tongue. Maybe upon further investigation the book would explain more about the words but there was no time for that; Sakura heard footsteps from around the corner. The very familiar steps of Ms. Caldwell's orthopedic shoes clicking against the tile floor. Hiding the book in her sweater, Sakura quickly ran behind the bookcase and tried to slow her breathing as she could hear Ms. Caldwell on the other side. If Sakura didn't know any better, she would have guessed this day was heading down the path of pessimism.

Author's Note: Well, it's one of my shorter ones but that's okay. I enjoyed it. It feels like forever since my last chapter but I feel this one was more fluid and I like it short. Anyways, please review! Tell me what you think!  
  



	14. The Effects a Vanilla Bean Can Have

Author's Note: I'm back! And boy, does it feel good! But I feel I owe all of you readers an apology for the delay. You see, I've been working on something else, A Harry Potter fanfic that I've just started.  It's called: Absolutely Surreal and even if you don't read the Harry Potter series, you can still follow along because everything will be explained. I'm really proud of this one and I think it deserves your support! So go find it and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS in any way.

Chapter Fourteen: The Effects a Vanilla Bean Can Have

            Sakura took slow breaths, trying to make as little noise as possible.  If Ms. Caldwell found her certainly she would take away the book and make sure that Sakura would never be able to enter the library, let alone read Symbols of Past and Present...ever.  

            "Who's up here?" Came the voice of a one very stingy librarian.

            Sakura looked around for an option, anyway whatsoever on getting out of here without getting caught. After finding none, Sakura began to back away from the footsteps, which were becoming louder as each second passed by.  _No one's up here, _Sakura spoke in her head, trying to magically send Ms. Caldwell a message, via Jedi mind trick. _Go away evil librarian! Shoo!_

            Naturally that failed, so she tried to think up other options. _I know I can't summon the key. Ms. Caldwell may be an old hag but she's not blind. If only I could..._ But her thoughts were cut short when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye.  Turning to her left, she saw that a sign was swinging back and forth on a door. It read: JANITOR'S CLOSET.

            _Thank you God_ she thought to herself as she made a dash for the janitor's closet, as quietly as humanly possible.  She locked the door quickly behind her.  And now all she could do was wait it out, like a hurricane. _Hurricane Caldwell_, she thought.

            "I know you're here so there's no use in hiding. Why don't you just come with me and we can work this out nicely, hmmm?" Sakura could hear the footsteps coming right towards her and then suddenly, they were right at the door of the janitor's closet.  Thankfully enough, Ms. Caldwell went right by it and continued her search of the floor.  After ten minutes had passed, Ms. Caldwell decided to give up and mumbled horrible things under her breath as she walked down the stairs.

            Gasping a sigh of relief, Sakura opened the door and let it shut behind her. She smiled to herself, feeling happy she outsmarted that horrible old woman.  She turned to leave but again, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. The doorway she had just left was no longer there, in fact, by the way it looked, no doorway had ever been there.  In its place was a large bookcase with hundreds of dusty books aligning the shelves and nothing more.

            Sakura walked down an empty road towards the shelter by the lake; the place that was now her home.  She held the book of Symbols of Past and Present against her chest, her hair covering most of it.  Her mind was littered with explanations for why the janitor's closet was, one minute there and the next, gone.  As soon as she received a headache from concentrating on the problem too much, her mind traveled elsewhere: "I'm starved," she said to herself. "What I wouldn't give for a nice-"

            "Ice cream?"

            Sakura took a sharp intake of breath in as she whipped her body around to find out who was talking to her. It was Eriol.

            "Is French Vanilla okay?" He asked, offering her a waffle cone with two mounds of snowy white ice cream adorning the top. "Ya know, vanilla bean is a natural cure for aches, pains and...small dilemmas." Sakura walked to him and freed one hand from her book and took the ice cream that Eriol was giving her. "Are you alright?"

            "In a matter of speaking...Eriol...what are you doing here?"

            He smiled, shoving his hands deep within his pockets. "I came to help you, Sakura."

            "Obviously, Eriol but...I mean...what are you doing _here_? On the side of this abandoned road with French Vanilla ice cream.  Which, by the way, is my absolute favorite and...how did you know that?"

            "It seems vanilla bean also causes curiosity.  I wish the vendor would have told me that before I ordered it.  I would have gotten chocolate instead."

            Sakura smiled and, with one hand holding the book and the other holding her ice cream, gave Eriol the best hug she could manage. "It's nice to see you again, Eriol. You have no idea how much better I feel knowing you're here."

            Eriol ended the hug short and took the book from Sakura's hand. "Symbols of Past and Present. How did you get this, Sakura? It's very hard to come by..." She smirked and that could only mean one thing. "Surely you didn't do something horrible to get this?"

            "Surely you don't know me quite as well as you imagine you do, Eriol." She started to walk away from him and, as if on cue, Eriol began walking beside her. "Don't worry, everything's perfectly alright. I didn't hurt or maim anyone to get it." After a few bites from her ice cream, she turned to Eriol. "And before I forget, thank you for getting me out of that tight bind with Ms. Caldwell.  She would have hung me from the town square if she had caught me in the Restricted Section, stealing this book?"

            Eriol laughed. "What are you talking about, Sakura? I didn't help you at all, remember? I didn't even know how you got this book until you told me."

            Sakura laughed with him too. "You never were a good liar, Eriol. I know it was you!" Eriol's laughter suddenly died to a complete halt and Sakura's smile faded as well. "It was you who helped me, wasn't it?"

            "No, Sakura. It wasn't me."

            The look on Sakura's face when she realized that the janitor's closet never existed was nothing compared to the face she had right now.

            "Sakura," Eriol asked softly. "How did you come by this book?"

            After she replayed the events to Eriol, it seemed like forever had passed by. When several minutes had passed as Eriol was thinking, Sakura found herself staring right into her lakeside refuge.  They were already there.

            "What do you think it means, Eriol?" Sakura asked as she heard people rummage around inside, surely to greet her (and now Eriol, though none of them knew of his arrival).

            "Sakura," he said quite seriously, and it almost scared her. "Someone wanted you to get to that book and seemingly, went to a great length to keep your presence in the Restricted Section concealed." 

            "But who?"

            "I don't know. But something isn't right here. I can feel it…in the air…" He exhaled as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Quite frankly, Sakura, from now on, none of us are safe."

            Sakura's jaw dropped as Li ran out from the front porch.  He stopped dead in his tracks, unsure of what to make of the situation.  There stood Sakura (with a half-eaten French vanilla ice cream cone) and Eriol (very much NOT in England) and both looked as if they hadn't had a glass of water in weeks.

            In the living room sat a group of people; each one with a thousand different questions but knowing that not a single one could be answered. Not be Sakura, not by Eriol, not by anybody.

            Sakura sat on a large forest green couch with Li at her side. To her left was Yue, standing behind a matching green chair with Kero hovering right beside him. Sitting in the large chair was Madison, hastily trying to finish Sakura's dress for the Lantern Festival that was to be held later that evening. To Sakura's right sat Eriol in a chair that identical to the one that Madison was occupying. At the center of it all was the library book that Sakura had found in the Restricted Section, opened to the page with the large picture of the tattoo on Megumi's back.

            "Are you sure it's the same one?" Kero asked Sakura. He didn't want to doubt his mistress, he just would have preferred to be wrong in this case.

            "It is." Sakura picked up the book and read the scripture underneath the picture. " 'This particular marking made its first appearance in the late thirteenth century in Tokyo, Japan. It was first used as a symbol of friendship amongst the family with the surname of Hu, but when the Serpent Clan defeated every last person of Hu descent, they took the symbol and forsaked the name of the Hu.' "  Sakura took a moment to turn the page. She quickly skimmed the page, "It gets worse," she said and then read on. " 'Using the blood of the Hu's, along with red and black dye, the Serpent Clan made a mixture that they used to make the tattoos of the same symbol they had stolen.' Oh my god, that is so disgusting," Sakura said, throwing the book back onto the table, yet everyone's eyes followed it as it landed with a hard smack!  The picture was enticing.

            "Right," said Li, taking hold of the situation. "Where does this leave us?"

            "With more questions and still no answers," she said, exasperated. "Shit!" She cussed loudly, standing up and walking around, pacing almost. "I don't even know where to begin!"

            "None of us do," Li said, joining her from her pacing behind the couch. He held onto her shoulders and gently shook her back to reality. "Do you think any of us have more of a clue than you?" She shook her head, suddenly feeling rather stupid. "Let's just start from point A, alright?" Sakura nodded and Li let go of her, resting his hands on the back of the couch and addressed the group as if he were the president of a large company and these were his board members. "First off, Megumi." The board members waited for him to speak. "She has the tattoo, Sakura saw it; which means that it's just a little more than coincidence.  This leads to the second thing, that Megumi is a member of the Serpent Clan, hence the large snake tattoo."

            "That may be so," Eriol said, finally contributing to the conversation. "But we can't be sure if it's her."

            "What do you mean 'we can't be sure?' " Li said. "Of course it is!  There's no other explanation for it!  The strong aura, the fact that another card is usually lurking by when she is; all signs point to her."

            "Although it is probable that her involvement in this is not purely coincidence, we cannot be one hundred percent sure until we catch her in the act."

            "Eriol's right," Yue said, his eyes intensely focused. "But you realize that catching her is going to be difficult. She's extremely powerful."

            "Yes, Yue," Kero agreed. "I sensed something strange from her. And whatever it was, it was unnatural and evil. So for now, we have to concentrate on capturing the other cards because if she captures the remaining ones, we're in a whole lot of trouble."

            "All we have to do now is wait," Eriol said.

            "There's got to be another option," Li suggested.

            "Like what?"

            "Well," Madison said, finally looking up from Sakura's (now finished) dress. "Isn't is obvious?" After looking at all the vacant stares (except for Eriol, who had none), she continued. "The Lantern Festival, you idiots!" Madison broke into a sheepish smile. "Sorry, but…there's always some gathering or festival or school soccer match that some card is going to plan on ruining.  Your job is to make sure that no one notices, right?"

            After the group had disbanded so they could prepare for the Lantern Festival, Eriol sat in front of the fire with the book in his lap. "You know," he said to Madison, who was lingering in the shadows behind him. "You pick up a lot for having no magical origin. You're quite natural at it."

            "Thanks," Madison said shyly, walking up to the couch and sitting down beside him. "So, Eriol," she said, unusually happy-like. "You think you could put the book down for two seconds and forget about this. Ya know…try to live a normal life."

            Eriol smiled and closed the book, placing it carefully on the table in front of him. "Normal life? That's highly impossible."

            "No, it's not," Madison said, defying him. "You just choose not to. And you know why?" He just stared at her, this time, with a vacant look in his eyes. "You're too stubborn."  He gave her a look and she just laughed. "What? Mr. Magic can't have a real human flaw? Oh, no," she said dramatically. "That would be highly impossible, now wouldn't it?"

            He laughed, at first, along with her, but it slowly died down and the twinkle in his eye faded to something deeper; something sad. "I'm not immortal, you know. I am a teenager, just like all of you, the only difference is I'm a little bit wiser." Madison didn't know what to say, so she listened intently. "None of you have any idea what it's like to be someone's reincarnation. And not just anyone, Clow Reed himself. It's like you have no identity, just someone else's used up one. I feel like I got sold at someone's yard sale," he joked, yet the undertones were completely serious. "You also don't know that everyday of my life, I wish it all away.  Why can't I just live in Reedington with the rest of you? Play soccer, get good grades, go to college…have a girlfriend…" Madison shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "But with my 'human flaws' comes human emotions, as well and-"

            "Eriol, would you like to go to the festival with me?" Madison spit out so fast, Eriol couldn't register what she was saying until a moment later. "I know it's sudden and all but Eriol, none of us give you enough credit.  We all see you as some…some…being who knows everything but really, you're just as clueless as the rest of us."

            "Well, I wouldn't say that.."

            "The point is," Madison interrupted. "I would really like to go with you.  I think we're good friends and you are one of us. You always have been."

            Eriol smiled happily, which was something he hadn't done in a long time.

            "And don't worry about what to wear, if that's what you're thinking…"

            "It's not," Eriol said quickly, but Madison was like in some sort of trance, talking rapidly and not paying any attention now to what he was saying.

            "I brought over a couple of extra tuxedos for Li in case one didn't fit him right and you're a little bit taller and uh," _more muscular, she screamed at herself but what she ended up saying was, "you're built like an Olympian so…oh Jesus…"_

            "So, if we were to go together," he mused to himself (and to Madison) while she took a moment to breathe. "It would be like…a date."

            "Um…I dunno. I suppose," she said, slowing down her speech and fully recovered.

            There was a long silence between them and Madison was suddenly regretting her offer because of the inevitable letdown she was about to get.  But, fortunately enough, it never came.

            "Sure, sounds fun," he said lightly, like it was nothing.  Although the rapid beating of his heart was surely not nothing. He exited the room, a smile adorning his face.  Madison had done it.  For not only two seconds, but for five whole minutes he forgot totally about the cards.  And he planned on doing that for the entire night.  Well, most of it, anyways.

            As Eriol opened the closet, sifting through the leftover tuxedos, he wondered why Madison had asked him. He knew it wasn't out of pity, she wasn't like that. _But what could it have been? He thought.  But then Eriol remembered. As soon as Sakura had entered the house after their walk, Madison had stolen her French vanilla ice cream and devoured the rest of it. "Must have been the vanilla bean," he said, smiling to himself._

Author's Note: Okay, that was a short one but I have to get myself reacquainted with this story again. I should have the next chapter up by the end of the week if I'm lucky. One question: The whole Eriol/Madison thing. Good or bad? I mean, it's not going to be the main focus of the story just something small and I don't even know if it's going to develop into anything, it's just an idea. So review! And please go check out my new Harry Potter story, Absolutely Surreal! I love it just as much as I do this one! 


	15. When All Else Fails

Author's Note: This chapter is longer and I've definitely gotten back into the swing of things. I've always wanted to add the lyrics of a song to help convey the underlying emotions and to basically help the story. Here's my little experiment, tell me how it goes…I might do another one in future chapters. Thanks!

Disclaimer: No, I do not own CCS. Isn't it blatantly obvious? The song is written and performed by the fantabulous Barenaked Ladies. They own the song, not me.

Chapter Fifteen: When All Else Fails

            King Penguin Park never looked as wonderful as it did on this night.  The slide, a common place for children to gather and play, was decorated with twinkling white lights.  There were numerous lantern baskets hanging around the sides from which the children could sneak a treat every once in awhile.  The King Penguin slide served its purpose as babysitter for all the little ones.

            From the boughs of the trees hung many a lanterns, ranging from a pastel pink to a pastel blue, the candles inside them flickered with the wind.  The pathways were lit up as well with white lights in small lanterns, giving the park a maze-like quality.

            In the center of the park, a large orchestra was playing, providing a relaxing atmosphere.  Every now and then, the conductor would "strike up the band" and play an upbeat piece while the kids on the slide clapped for more and the teenagers danced wildly; the adults watching from the side, nostalgia dripping from their lips.

            There were also concession stands and street vendors lining the pathways of the park, selling trinkets for the kiddies, silk dresses and more.  It was like a carnival in some ways but it was definitely more traditional and meaningful in other ways as well.  Whatever this festival represented, everyone forgot about the worries of the day and enjoyed themselves well into the night.

            A shy boy walked through the park, his hands lost deep within the recesses of his pockets, his dark hair blocking his features because of his fallen face.  _Stupid tuxedo, _he thought to himself.  _It's always so uncomfortable._  Deciding it was too late in the night for anyone here to care; he took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.  He may have looked like a bartender but he was definitely more comfortable, and cooler, and that's all that mattered.

            But then he saw her, standing not ten feet in front of him.  She looked exquisite in her dress of pearl, making her look completely innocent (even though he knew that she most certainly was anything but).  The young girl leaned up against the base of a tree lazily, watching couples dance and stroll through the park, hand in hand, arm in arm.  The boy walked up to the girl, straightening his posture and slowed his stride, more sure of himself.  The girl, feeling someone's presence behind her, turned around, blushing at first but then it faded away to confidence as she flirtatiously changed her position, leaning up against the tree.  The boy approached the woman in front of him and realized, for the first time, that he was a man.

            "You look very beautiful tonight," he commented, leaning against the tree as well, one arm lifted to support himself.  "And I thought that you should become aware of the present situation."

            "Which is...?"

            "That I am deeply in love with you."

            She smiled and he offered her a small flower which he tucked carefully behind her ear.  The woman looked up to him, into his eyes and decided that she wouldn't mind if she became lost in them for tonight, for eternity.

            "I.."

            "Take a walk with me," he demanded, interrupting her completely.  She didn't mind in the least.

            He offered her his arm and she took it without hesitation.  They walked through the pathways for time, not saying a word to each other, just content enough on each other's company.  He suddenly stopped and sat down on the bench, extending his hand for her to join him. She did and they were so close to each other, they could hear the very breathing of the other.

            "I don't sense anything, Li. Do you?"

            "No, Sakura," he said. "But I don't want to think about that. Not right now."

            "I know, it's just that..."

            "So, what do you think of Madison asking Eriol out tonight?" Li said, interrupting her yet again.

            "That's the second time tonight you've interrupted me, Li," she said with a smile.

            "Well, someone has to. I can't always let you have your way." She laughed and he continued on. "So, as I was saying..."

            "When you rudely interrupted me," she joked.

            "What do you think?"

            "Of Eriol and Madison?" He nodded. "I don't know," she thought, watching them dance. She could hear their laughter from where she was sitting.

            "You think that..."

            "She has deeper feelings for him?" He looked into her eyes. "I don't know. Madison's so finicky about everything. I mean, look at this dress?"

            "That's true," he agreed.

            "It is strange, though," she added. "I mean, Madison was always the type to just let the guy ask her out and more often times than not she declined him. So, it's really hard to tell..." He kissed her, bringing his hand to her cheek.

            "That's the third time, Li," she said, after they parted. "You know that..."

            "What are you doing tonight?"

            "Um, I'm not sure what you mean..."

            "I mean," he said, stealing another kiss before he continued. "After this whole Lantern Festival gig, what are you doing? Where are you going?"

            "Probably back to Madison's little sanctuary and then..."

            "Can I join you?"

            She smiled. "Are you trying to set a record for the number of times you can interrupt me, Li? Because you just did it two more times and..."

            "Can I join you?" He repeated, leaning closer to her and whispering it into her ear. Li kissed her lobe before he moved back to look into her eyes. "I promise you a night of fun."

            "Well, I don't doubt that," she stated.

            He lowered his voice so that it was just above a whisper. "We can make s'mores in the fireplace," he started while she giggled. "And play board games, watch cheesy television shows.." Sakura's stomach rumbled, reminding both of them that there had been no dinner that night. "I'll make you dinner," he laughed and she shortly joined him. "C'mon...what do you say?"

            "Well," she teased. "What if I said 'no'?"

            "I'd respect your wishes," he said seriously. But when she gave him a look he broke into a smile. "Alright, alright. I'd probably show up at your doorstep a half an hour later.

            "Of course you can come over, Li. Why did you even get the notion to ask? I just assumed you were," she said, teasing him again. This time he didn't smile. "Oh, c'mon, Li, don't give me that look! I was just..."

            "Do you feel that?"

            "Feel what?"

            He grabbed her hands and made her stop what she was doing and pay attention to everything around her. "_That_," he emphasized. "Do you feel it?"

            Sakura did feel it and she knew what it was. "Another card." She stood up, scanning the grounds with her eyes and trying to feel where it was coming from. "It's the slide," she said. In a moment he was standing beside her. "It's coming from the slide, Li." He turned his attention to the King Penguin slide, with all the little kids running around it. "Oh my god, look..."

            Coming from underneath the feet of the King Penguin, was a red glow. It was faint at first, but as the seconds ticked by, and kids continued to play, the light grew brighter. It wouldn't be long before anyone began to notice.

            "Sakura, I'll get Madison and Eriol."

            "What about Yue and Keroberos?"

            "Don't worry about them! Use the Time Card!"

            Sakura said, "Okay," and fumbled for her key around her neck while Li ran off towards the orchestra.  Sakura, in the mean time, ran behind a tree and summoned her key, hoping that no one would notice.  "Time Card!" She yelled. "Release and Dispel! Time!" She threw the card into the air and hit it dead center with her staff.  An old man emerged and quickly went about to freezing time.  Everything stood still, including the kids. Now all she had to do was to get the card away from it.

            Sakura ran towards the slide, watching as the light grew not brighter, but with more power. It still shone blood red.  "Come out!" She yelled and, grabbing the Watery, "Or I'll flush you out!"

            "That wouldn't be such a good idea," came a voice under the slide. "Water has no effect on me...you see..." the card began as red smoke suddenly began to pour out from under the slide. It collected a few feet from it and slowly started to evaporate, revealing its true form. "I was born of the water..."

            Standing in front of Sakura was a woman, completely covered in a type of armor, all deep red.  Her black eyes as well as her armor, shone brightly in the moonlight.  She had very short red hair that was separated into spikes, all around her head.  She wasn't a force to be reckoned with.

            From behind her, she could feel the movement of not three but five beings coming towards her.

            "Your little cavalry won't help you now." And with a movement of her hand she sent a rush of water towards them.  Except, it wasn't aimed at them, but under their feet; the water hit the ground, causing quicksand. "There. Now it is even."

            Sakura looked to her sinking 'cavalry' and back towards the card. "You better not even think about hurting any of them!"

            "Then I'll make a deal with you!" The card yelled, advancing a little towards Sakura.  She raised her staff in preparation. "If I become captured then I'll set your friends go." Sakura was waiting for the catch. "But," _here comes the catch,_ Sakura thought. "For every card you use that fails, they all sink...a little deeper."

            "And what if I don't agree?" Sakura yelled.

            "Then you must live with the facts!" The woman yelled. "You killed off your friends! That will make for a great life, now won't it?!"

            Sakura, knowing no other options, decided to go along with her deal. "Fine! But, if for any reason I think that you're cheating, deal's over!"

            "Fair enough!" The card yelled. "Now, let's start this!"

            "Yes, let's..." Sakura thought quickly about which card to use. _Well, she was born from the water, so I should probably use the opposite element._ "Fiery Card! Release and Dispel!" She called out, hitting the card with her staff. "Fiery!"

            The card just laughed it off as the Fiery surrounded her. After the first failed attempt, the Fiery returned while Sakura watched the woman in front of her.

            "Now, to hold up your end of the bargain..." Sakura turned around and watched as her friends began to sink deep within the quicksand.  Madison, the shortest of them all, was already up to her chin.

            "Madison!" Sakura yelled out.

            "I'm okay, Sakura...just keep fighting!"

            "She's right!" Keroberos yelled. His deep voice echoing off the trees. "You must use the..."

            From out of nowhere came a red snake, coiling around the mouths of each of her friends. "This wasn't part of the deal!" Sakura said, turning around.  What she saw, she couldn't comprehend with at first, but then, anger filled her veins.

            The card that she had been fighting was frozen up to its neck, now a big block of ice. Sakura ran to the card. "What happened?!" She yelled to it.

            "Don't worry about me," the card said. Her black eyes were softened now to a light blue and her hair was curled beautifully around her face. "You would have figured it out soon enough. You're a smart one, Sakura Kinomoto." Sakura couldn't help but feel for the card. After the cards have been captured, they all became so loyal to people. But this card had another master now.

            "Who happened to you?"

            "Sakura, listen to me carefully," the card said. "I am..."

            "The Cancer," Sakura finished. "I know. I just figured it out. The red armor and..."

            "I told you that you were smart, Sakura," the Cancer said, and smiled. "But hear me, Sakura. As soon as your group falls apart, it will prevail. Do not let that happen."

            "What do you mean?" Sakura asked, unsure of what the Cancer was trying to tell her. But Sakura never got a chance to get an answer.  The Cancer looked past Sakura and she followed its gaze, turning behind her.

            Standing in the trees was the black-hooded figure, looking as menacing as ever. It carelessly floated down and began to walk towards Sakura and began to speak to her within her head, in a voice neither male nor female.  _Give up now._

            "Never!" Sakura screamed.

            The figure walked ever closer but Sakura stood in front of the Cancer, guarding it.

            _Step aside then._

            "You can't take her! I won't let you!"

            _You cannot keep what is not yours to begin with._

"No one owns her! Especially not you!"

            _Do you not own the cards you have captured?_

            "What?" Sakura breathed, not wanting to believe what this thing was telling her. "No...you couldn't possibly..."

            _Accept it and stand aside._

            "No!"

            _Then you will come to a similar fate as your comrades._

Sakura looked behind her, where her friends should have been, half sunken in.  But instead, there was nothing, only a small protruding white rock. But it wasn't a rock; it was a piece of Yue's wing.

            "NO!" She yelled, pointing her staff threatening in front of her. "Save them!"

            _And why should I? Now this is your predicament. Either choose the life of your mother or the death of your friends._

            "LET THEM GO!"

            The black figure drew a sword and pointed it at her chest. _Either choose now or let me choose for you._

            Sakura, only having one real option, quickly backed away from the Cancer but not taking her eyes off of the black-hooded one in front of her, in case of foul play. She had to save her friends, there was just no other way.

            The black-hooded figure shattered the ice with one wave of its hand and, touching the Cancer with one armored finger, the Cancer was sucked into its card form. The card shot up the black sleeve of the presence standing there, which suddenly turned to Sakura.

            _You have something that belongs to me._

            Sakura suddenly felt something tingling her skin. It was warm at first but the heat grew more intense and finally a card whipped out from her and flew to the dark figure's already outstretched hand.  It was the Leo.

            And without another word, the figure disappeared. Staring in disbelief, Sakura started to notice that the Time card was losing its hold on reality. Taking out The Windy, Sakura set to the task of saving her friends.

            An hour later, at a late two in the morning, Madison, Eriol, Kero and Yue arrived at Madison's mansion.  The two non-humans flew into Madison's room via her window while Madison introduced Eriol to her mother, who, despite her daughter's preconception, remembered Eriol quite well.

            "Of course he can stay here!" Her mother declared. "We have plenty of guest bedrooms, you know that." 

            Eriol kindly kissed her mother's hand, "Thank you so much for letting me stay with you."

            "Such a polite young man!" She replied. "Now, hurry and go up to bed. It's late."  Madison's mother quickly retreated up the stairs to her bedroom, her anger retreating because she was woke up so late into the night.

            "Well," Madison said, a little awkwardly. "Let me show you to your room…"

            "You must be hungry," Eriol stated, grabbing her hand and leading her into the kitchen.

            Madison didn't argue with him, though she was a little curious as to how he knew where her kitchen was. Eriol had never been in her house before. But, strangely enough, he knew exactly where everything in the kitchen was as well.

            Eriol refused to let Madison help him, ("There will be no helping of the sort!" he protested), so she sat at the table, watching him cook some sort of pastry-like meal.

            "So," Madison started, trying to end the silence between them. "what are you making?"

            "That's for me to know," he said, starting to peel some potatoes. "And for you to find out."

            Madison smiled at Eriol. He looked so professional. His jacket, vest and tie were long gone and he had undone some of the top buttons on his white shirt, revealing a white undershirt.  His sleeves were expertly rolled up and Madison could see his muscles flexing as he peeled.

            "Should I get Kero and Yue? Maybe they're hungry too."

            Eriol smiled at her. "Yue never eats and we all know that Keroberos can eat himself into an oblivion. I mean, you do want to eat, right?"

            Madison laughed at Eriol's joke. Of course, it was nothing short of the truth. "I suppose you're right."

            "Of course I am," he agreed lightly, as if it were nothing.  This was all very new to Madison, all the flirting. Well, she had done it before, obviously and even had a few boyfriends in high school but Eriol wasn't like the boys she dated. 

            "So," Madison said, trying to not think about Eriol in a boyfriend stature. It was just too much for her right now. "I wonder what Sakura and Li are doing?"

            Eriol looked to her, and he said, dead seriously, "I don't know but it's not good."

            "What do you mean, Eriol?"

            He stopped chopping the potatoes into slices and put the knife down. "Sakura lied to him."

            "I don't think Sakura would do that, Eriol. I mean, I'm not doubting you…"

            "Of course you are," he said in the nicest way possible. "You're not agreeing with me, are you?"

            "No, but…what did she lie about? And how do you know?"

            He sighed and started to chop up the potatoes again. "If you see something very important and know you should tell someone but don't, isn't that almost a lie? Especially when Li asked her if something was up and she said 'no'?"

            "See something important?" Madison questioned. "Like what? An event?"

            "No, not quite. We were all there when he said it but it didn't register for any of us, not even her." Madison just looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "The tattoo. On Megumi's back. She lied about that to Li."

            "Oh," is all she could say. She knew that Li wouldn't be very happy about this. "Well…how did he find out and how do you know that he did?"

            Eriol sighed again. "I can give a reply to that in one answer," he said, putting all the chopped potatoes into a large bowl. "Because I told him."

            And Eriol was right. The only thing off was his timing, but only slightly.  Sakura sat at the couch with a cup of tea in her hands, staring into it.  She half expected to see something in it, like a picture of the future or a way to solve this whole problem, but none came.

            "Five to two," Sakura said softly as Li sat down on the couch. Except that it wasn't beside her but at the other end. She looked to him, sadness outlining her eyes. "You know, I've been thinking and I know this goes against everything we talked about today but…maybe we should just talk to Megumi." Sakura gazed into her tea cup for a moment before turning to look at Li. "What do you think?"

            Li just sat there, his eyes fixed onto the fire.

            "Li?"

            He suddenly came back down to Earth and looked to his girlfriend. "Uh, yeah…I don't know."

            "Welllll….do you think it's a good idea?"

            "Probably not, but who knows."

            Sakura just watched her boyfriend stare into the fire. She didn't know if he was just tired and needed a shove forward. "So," she said, enthusiastically. "What do you want to do first? Make s'mores in the fireplace?" When he didn't say anything, she stood up and began to move past him into the kitchen. "Right. I'll get the stuff."

            "Sakura," he said, grabbing her arm as she moved past him. "I think we need to talk."

            "Well, it's about time," she half-joked. "You haven't said anything since we got back here."  Sakura sat down next to him, forgetting about cooking s'mores in the fireplace. "So…what's up?" She asked innocently.

            **Well here we are again and we're looking at each other as if each other were to blame.**

            "You know I know.  There's no need in hiding it.  I just want to know why."

            Sakura was sincerely confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

            **You're think you're so smart but I've seen you naked.**

**            I'll probably see you naked again.**

            "Yes, I think you do."

            "No, Li," she said, starting to become a little worried. This wasn't a little 'talk' or a friendly 'chat' they were going to have. No. This was going to be a full out argument. She could sense that much. "I haven't the slightest clue on what you're talking about. So, save us both some time and just come out and say it." She hadn't meant it like that and instantly regretted those choice in words as soon as they escaped her mouth. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

            "No, Sakura. You're right." He looked her right in the eye and she could see the anger and hurt in his. "Why did you lie to me?"

            **Milli Vanilli told you to 'blame it on the rain' but if you blame it on the rain tell me what can begin so…**

            "What?"

            "We promised that no matter what, we would stay true to each other. So…why did you do it, huh? Why did you have this terrible desire to keep the truth from me."

            "Li, I don't know what you're…" she began, truthfully.

            "Stop pretending like you don't know!" He said loudly, suddenly standing up and beginning to walk around the room. "You're not fooling me with that act," he said, quieting down a little. "Please…tell me why."

            **If all else fails you can blame it on me.**

            And then, as if out of a bad dream, it dawned on her. "The tattoo," she said aloud. And then something else struck her. Like lightening. Why hadn't she noticed it before?! He even had remarked earlier on that very same day that he knew about Megumi's tattoo. Why hadn't she thought anything of it?!

            "Why did you lie?" He asked again.

            **If all else fails you can blame it on me.**

            "Um…I…" She couldn't find the words.

            "What? What is it? You don't trust me?"  
            "No! Of course I trust you!"

            **If all else fails you can blame it on me.**

            "Then I don't know what else it could be, Sakura. How can I be your boyfriend or…it's not just that…how can I fight by your side when you're keeping things from me?!"

            "But that's just it," Sakura said. "I didn't want you to be at my side…"

            "What?!" He yelled, in total disbelief.

            **If all else fails blame it on me.**

            "I thought I was saving you!" She yelled back, in her defense. By now, she was on her feet as well. "Excuse me for giving a damn!"

            "I can't keep doing this!" He yelled, but it was almost a plea. "I can't keep having this same conversation over and over again with you, Sakura. I really can't! First you can't be without me and then you go off on your own to fight this and this cycle repeats over and over again and quite frankly, it's pissing me off!"

            **If all else fails you can blame it on me.**

            Sakura was speechless. Was this really happening? She could only think of one thing to say. "I'm sorry," she said. It was soft, like a gentle breeze.

            "That's what you said last time."

            "But I mean it," Sakura said, sitting down. Could this really be happening?

            "I don't doubt your apology," Li said, lowering his voice to match hers. "I just can't keep doing it. Not like this, anyways."

            **Then you smile again but you're looking at me like there's something I'm supposed to say.**

            "You were so sweet to me this afternoon." Sakura looked up from her hands in her lap and into his eyes.  He immediately looked away. "How could that all have changed?"

            "I don't know."

            There was silence for a while until Sakura suddenly stood up and started to walk into the kitchen. "I know what will help us," she said, trying to sound as optimistic as her voice would let her. "S'mores…I bet there's even white chocolate in here. Your favorite."

            **Forgive me Father but I've fallen in love and that's all I have for confession today.**

            "Sakura, I don't think this is going to work."

            "Well…we'll need to talk some more but…"

            "That's not what I meant."

            **Maybe if you asked me on any other given day I wouldn't have time for you or anything that you say.**

            Sakura suddenly stopped her scrounging for a bar of white chocolate and froze in her spot.  There was nothing but dead silence.

            "I need…we need to…"

            "Over this?" Sakura asked solemnly. "Over this one little obstacle?"

            "But that's just it, Sakura. There's never been only 'one little obstacle'.  Maybe to you, but there's so much more to this."

            **It's alright now you can blame it on me.**

            _This can't be true, she thought. __It just can't be._

            "You always wanted to be on your own. Even when we were little. Or when your dad goes off and leaves you behind…Madison practically has to beg to stay over…"

            "That's not true…not really…" Sakura pleaded. But it was no use. Even with only the empty doorway separating the two, there were worlds between them.

            "We've just been caught up in the drama of this whole thing."

            **Yes, dear, I love you but sometimes you think that love's not enough for you.**

            "But this isn't a drama, Li. It's our life."

            "No, it's not. It's _your life, Sakura." She could hear Li take in a few sharp and ragged breaths of air. "I would never go off without you…even before we were…'us'. After I heard from Yue what happened at the Opera House, I was so furious.  You almost got yourself killed."_

            "And if you were there, Li…we both could have been killed."

            "No…you just don't understand, Sakura. And you never have. You think you're the one with all the power because you're the mistress…you're invincible. Well, you know what? You're far from it. You're mortal just like the rest of us."

            **So you wanna play mind games? Well that's fine, go ahead, la la la I can't hear you.**

            "Please don't lecture me. I don't need this from anybody…especially you."

            "Well, you do, Sakura, and especially from me."

            "I always act in the best interest of everyone, Li. That's what I'm trying to do."

            "Well, you're not."

            "I think I am."

            **But here you are but you're a hundred thousand miles away.**

            There was another long silence while both of them tried to realize what was happening. What this conversation really meant.

            "I'm gonna go…before it gets too late."

            "Li," Sakura pleaded. "You really don't have to go. There's an extra bedroom down the hall and I think we really should talk about this."

            **They say that absence makes the heart grow fungus.**

            "What is there to say, Sakura? That already hasn't been said?" He waited for an answer. "Do you have anything else to add to this conversation?"

            "No…I suppose not."

            **I wax poetic, while you're waxing your legs.**

            "Well, neither do I."

            Sakura heard Li's footsteps as he walked away from her. Next she heard the door shut behind him and the starting of an engine.

            **You say you think there's a traitor among us.**

            It was then that both of them decided that Li just wasn't talking about the conversation.  In their head, they both repeated the last few statements, replacing two words.

            _"What is there to do, Sakura? That already hasn't been done?" He waited for an answer. "Do you have anything else to add to this relationship?"_

_            "No…I suppose not."_

_            "Well, neither do I."_

_            **If all else fails you can blame it on me.**_

Author's Note: So! How was it? Good…bad…ugly? Tell me how it was so review! And please check out my new story, **Absolutely Surreal. I think it's wonderfully written…so please please please give it a shot!**


	16. The Winter of Her Discontent

Author's Note: Oh my. It's been almost five long years since I have last updated this story, but here I am, adding on more installments to my favorite fanfiction. It was odd; I hadn't visited in years, but the name suddenly came to me. I logged in, and read and re-read this story and thought, "Wow…I used to write as horrible as this?" Granted, I was sixteen years old and without proper training in the art of writing, but I was appalled at how poorly written my story was at times. So, here I am, challenging myself to continue it at my new level of skill. So here it is and, as always, your reviews are most appreciated.

Disclaimer: Although I may write like the characters are my own, I assure you that all characters of CCS are not mine.

Chapter Sixteen: The Winter of Her Discontent

_ Draaa-rip. Draaa-rip. Draa-rip-rip-rip._

Sakura opened her eyes feebly, simultaneously feeling the harsh rays of morning pierce her eyes and the small, cold drops of old tea dripping from the coffee table and onto her forehead. Placing her left hand on the thick carpet for support, Sakura lifted herself off the floor and sat onto the couch, sinking into its depths. Like she was a coma patient just regaining her memory after a long sleep, the events of the previous evening ran through her mind: there were snapshots of the Lantern Festival of King Penguin Park (Eriol was there, an orchestra, the lighted paths…), the fight with the Cancer, her friends drowning in quicksand, and her new black-cloaked foe escaping with what should have been Sakura's new card.—And where was Li?

S tumbling to the bathroom out of exhaustion, Sakura splashed her face with the coldest water the plumbing could afford her, but it didn't help the overly tired look on her face. "When did I get so old?" she asked herself. It was true; Sakura looked like she had aged five years in the last week: her eyes were clouded with dark circles, caked blood lined the cracks in her lips, and she felt like a feeble old lady that could barely make it ten feet to the bathroom. _God, what has happened to me? _she thought.

"Li!" she called out. "Li! Come in here! You'll never believe how haggardly your girlfriend looks." She laughed, in spite of how grotesque she felt she looked, and turned towards the doorway. "Li!" And then all the color suddenly drained from her face. "Li…" she said, as she grasped the corner of the wooden sink. It all came rushing back to her like the floodgates of her memory had finally broken; as if her mind had been playing tricks on her for the entirety of that morning. _Sakura, I don't think this is going to work_ is what Li Showran had said to her last night; he had looked at her straight in the face and told her that it—the past week of the nourishment of her heart, the past seven years of capturing the Clow Cards—was over. It was all over.

And, picturing the exact look on Li's face when he told her that they were through, Sakura lost her footing and fell to the bathroom floor in a wave of unstoppable sobs.

Two eyes flashed open in a state of shock as its owner jumped up from the lying position it had once occupied. Eriol knew that something had become tragically unbalanced. He sat in a mixed world: he felt anxious and aware of what might have caused him to suddenly awaken, yet he was also curious of his vaguely familiar surroundings. Next to him on the plush, red, Victorian-esque divan, Madison lay sleeping; her wavy black hair framed her face and her deep purple and white traditional Japanese dress was now wrinkled from sleeping in a cat-curled position. Although Eriol wanted nothing better than to gently nudge her awake and spend the morning reconnecting with the one person that saw him as more than the reincarnation of Clow Reed, that older soul inside of him was stirring and he knew he needed to leave quickly and without hesitation. Carefully moving from the couch as to not disturb Madison, Eriol quietly rose from the divan and tip-toed to the large mahogany doorway that lead from the sitting room to the kitchen, and eventually to the side door and his path to discovering the unbalance that awoke him in the first place. Yet, as he stepped through the open doorway, a voluminous _creeeeaaaakkkkk_ filled the living room. Eriol stopped, literally frozen in his tracks.

"I should have told you to watch the second floorboard in the entryway. It's quite noisy," Eriol heard Madison sleepily yawn from behind him. He dropped the escape act at once and turned to her with a sheepish and guilty look on his face. "Especially if you want to make a quick getaway from a horrible evening."

"It was a marvelous evening, Kuro." During the events of the previous evening, Madison and Eriol had talked for hours on end and, eventually, had gotten to know one another extremely well. During their conversations, both serious and silly, Eriol had remarked on Madison's dark features ("They are very old Hollywood; full of glamour and unparalleled beauty," he had said) and began to call her _kuro_, which is Japanese for black. This morning, however, she was finding it hard not to blush with excitement when she heard that special name leave his lips. No one had ever paid attention to Madison so closely before.

"So marvelous that you had to leave," she said, standing up and moving closer to him; her long satin dress swishing against the wooden floor. "You know, Eriol, I knew that you…"

"Madison, I promise you," he said, taking her hands into his own, "that last night was one of the greatest of my life. I finally could feel like a normal teenager that stayed up all hours of the night…and not because of Japanese history or Clow Reed for once."

"Eriol, I…" but the words evaporated into thin air as Eriol's hand shot up to his left temple, as if he were having an earthquaking migraine. "What is it? Are you okay?"

"Something is terribly wrong. I've never felt such a powerful unbalance before. I…" he trailed off as he desperately ran to the side door with Madison behind him.

"Eriol! What is it?!" Madison said frantically, as Eriol unlocked his car doors and beckoned her to join him. She had never seen him like this before. The Eriol she knew was always calm and reserved, like the powerful CEO of an international company.

"I don't know," he said as he turned the key to his luxurious black sedan and burned the edges of his tires as he quickly shifted from first to second to third; cruising out of Madison's long driveway. He glanced at her, worry etching the creased lines in his face. "It's Sakura. Something's wrong with her."

"Do you think it's another card?"

"No…I fear it's much worse."

Within an hour's time, Eriol and Madison found themselves driving down the long dirt path that acts as the primitive driveway to her family's cabin in the woods of Japan. The entirety of the ride was spent in an apprehensive quiet with Madison and Eriol both worried about what they were going to find at the end of the road while simultaneously trying to combat the shyness they suddenly felt for being around each other.

"I hope she's okay," Madison says as she rubbed her hands out of nervousness. "Sakura has been going through so much and—"

"Whatever happens to her, Kuro, Sakura can handle it. She is the Mistress of the Cards, afterall. She was assigned this destiny for a reason. The Fates wouldn't pick someone that was incapable of such a heavy burden."

"But it's a burden that no one should bear!" Madison said indignantly, as she turned to Eriol. "You, of all people, should realize that."

Eriol sighed. "I know. And I want to believe that what you're saying is true but, you must understand, Madison, part of me is much older than you are. I wasn't raised in modern times and part of me knows that fate and destiny cannot be untwined from the lives of humans."

"I'm sorry, Eriol, but I simply cannot believe that Sakura has to suffer so much…and for what?—the sake of humankind?" Eriol shook his head. He knew that Madison was strong-willed, but he also knew that she would never understand the values and beliefs of Clow Reed and his time; at least in the way that he understood them. "Eriol," she said quietly, moving her hand to the shift stick where his right hand lay. "I don't want to argue philosophy with you but, don't forget that you are human too. Throughout this entire journey, you have acted as if you were nothing more than a vessel for another."

Eriol couldn't agree with her for reasons that she would never understand. By accepting her statement of philosophy, he would have to accept the falsity of the life he was leading, and he just couldn't do that, for it went against his own principles; not Clow Reed's values, but his own. As he was about to voice this to her, they came in sight of the cabin, which was emitting a brighter light that could not have been caused by the rays of the sun. Eriol nor Madison could exactly pinpoint the source of such a brightness, but neither of them doubted for a second that it had to be coming from somewhere in that house.

Madison, for the first time she could remember, was scared of what she would find when she looked at Sakura, and she mentally chastised herself for spending time with Eriol when she should have been with her best friend. _Afterall_, Madison thought, _Sakura would have done at least that for me._ Yet, she tried to look as courageous as possible as she followed Eriol into the house and the unknown that occupied it.

The first thing that either of them noticed right away was the domineering sense of cold. It was a temperate fifty degrees outside, but inside the house lay a much colder blanket, cooling the house to a frigid twenty degrees or thereabout. The floorboards, Eriol noticed, had grown a thick layer of frost so that every time one of them stepped, a crisp _crunch_ sound emitted from beneath their shoes. What had once been an inviting and comfortable atmosphere had suddenly turned into an inhabitable environment, yet the mixture of fluffy chairs, outdoorsy décor, and other homey pleasures mocked any guests that would enter the home for pleasure, for there was nothing pleasurable about this cabin.

As Eriol and Madison entered the living room even further, a white hare with black-tipped ears ran from the adjoining hallway, sending Madison hurling herself at Eriol in fright. "What was that?" she said through chattering teeth; white breath escaped her lips, chapped from the cold.

"Artic hare. Don't worry, it's harmless."

But after the initial scare of the creature (because, afterall, who would have expected that to happen?), Madison was less worried about a small rabbit than what was happening to her (supposed) summer retreat. "What do you think caused this, Eriol? Do you think it's another card?"

"I don't think so," Eriol said, walking to where the hare had bounded from.

The hallway, they quickly found, had traces of snow atop the frost they had encountered in the living room. And, with each step they took, the snow became deeper and deeper until they were standing in front of the closed bathroom door and the snow was almost to Madison's knees. "She's in the there," Madison said touching the door.

"How can you be so sure? There's more snow in the kitchen. She might be just past—"

"No, Eriol. I'm positive. Look at this door," she said, touching the large wooden door. "This doesn't belong here."  
"What do you mean?"

"This bathroom door is supposed to be white." Yet it was for other reasons. Snow was encrusted around its edges and icicles were hanging from the top frame. Upon closer inspection, Eriol noticed something else odd.

"Madison, look," he said, touching the right edges of the thick wooden door. "The hinges are completely made out of ice." He touched them, and instantly his fingertips went numb from cold and pain.

"What happened here?" Madison nervously asked.

"I don't know," Eriol said uncertainly and held on to Madison's hand as he grasped the oversized iced doorknob and turned.

Neither of them ever thought they had seen such a spectacle.

Before them was a large clearing that seemed to be a part of a much bigger deciduous forest. Pine and evergreen trees lined the outskirts of the clearing, with all of the branches heavy with the weight of snow. Above them was no hint of sun or the lining of individual clouds, yet the sky poured steady snow from every angle. It was as if they had unknowingly stepped forth from a wardrobe in England and they were now in the land of Narnia.

As Madison stood in awe, Eriol turned to his left and spoke to the ground, "Why did you do this, my dear one?" Without hesitation, a large form of whiteness arose from the ground and beside Eriol now stood The Snow, dressed in her traditional white kimono and blue obi.

"Clow Reed," she said and smiled as if she was addressing her father. "My mistress is not herself."  
Eriol put a gentle hand on The Snow, as Madison wondered what kind of emotions the cards felt, but it was obvious that they were much more human than she could have imagined by the way Eriol treated them. "Do you know why she has summoned you with The Key?"

The Snow sadly looked into the distance. "I was not summoned. Not with The Key, at least. The incantation was not spoken, nor was I directly asked to come forth or bade to create this world you now stand in. No…what called me was much more ancient and powerful than the Key, though I could not tell you what it was, Clow Reed."

Worried, Eriol went through all the possibilities in his head. _Not summoned by The Key? What kind of magic is this?_ he wondered. "Tell me, Snow. Whatever kind of magic that called you, can you at least tell me if it came from Sakura or not?"

"It most certainly did and oh…Clow Reed," The Snow said, turning to him. Madison could see the small white crystals drop from the white woman's tear ducts and fall to the ground. "I have never felt such a power come from that little girl. It was as beautiful as it was frightening."

Eriol would later repeat The Snow's explanation in his head many times that night, and he would ponder it until he fell asleep, but he knew that now was not the time to find the why, but the who. "Please, if you would my Snow, lead me to Sakura." What was even more curious was that Eriol and Madison saw the hesitation The Snow had in her movement, as if she were to disobey her Creator's wishes, yet it seemed to come with some discomfort. "Has she commanded you to do otherwise?"

"Clow Reed!" The Snow exclaimed and fell into his arms sobbing. Madison had never seen a card act this way before; so personal and intimate. "I'm sorry if I have shamed you! I know that you are my one true Creator, but she asked me in such a way…I couldn't have said no! Please, Master Reed! Forgive me!" She pleaded with him over and over again, grasping at his front shirt like a beggar.

"My dear, it is okay. I understand your predicament," Eriol said, calmly stroking the Snow's white frozen hair. "But Sakura, I fear, is a danger to herself. It is of the utmost importance that we find her. Now please, lead us to her." And with the Snow's confidence rebuilt, the card floated across the top of the snow, past the clearing, and to the line where the open field of snow met the thick and dense forest.

"She is not far," the Snow reassured, and lead Eriol and Madison into the strange and enveloping forest.

A short walk later, the Snow came to a halt in front of a massive tree, much unlike the rest surrounding it. While most of the trees in the wood were lined with an obtrusive and harsh bark, this grandfather tree had the smoothest outer skin of wood that Madison had ever seen. And how dark and rich its color! This tree was obviously much older than the rest, and as Madison peered towards the sky, the light blinded her and she was unable to see where the tree stopped in the sky (if it did).

"Go on," the Snow urged. "She is inside."

_ Inside the tree?! _Madison wondered. _Oh, Sakura, what has happened to you?_

Madison began to step forward, but Eriol held out an arm to stop her. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I need you to stay here."

"Eriol, she's my best friend. I hope you're not expecting me to stay here while you go off and rescue her or whatever. She needs a friend right now, and that's what I'm here for," Madison exclaimed. It was at this moment that Madison finally saw how powerful Eriol was and could sense an aura surrounding him in a thick haze. For the first time in awhile, Madison felt a fear rise deep inside her ribcage.

"Madison, there is a lot going on right now that even I don't understand. This was not part of the future I have seen. None of this makes sense, and if Sakura is unstable, it won't matter if you're Li Showron…" And with that said, flames burst from the roots of the tree, sending Madison falling to the ground.

"What was that?!" Madison shrieked, backing up in fright.

"I'll be right back," Eriol said, without looking behind him, and walked straight up to the base of the tree. As he placed his hand on the smooth wood in front of him, a small door appeared and opened itself on invisible hinges. Crouching and stepping inside, he saw Sakura dressed in an ornate gold, white, and green dress; ribbons and lace were intertwined in her hair; an icicle crown lay unmelting on her head; and within her gloved hands was a thick, leather-bound folio with an eight-pointed star residing on the front. Eriol immediately noticed this to be the physical recreation of the Create.

Eriol approached Sakura, who was sitting on an equally ornate wood throne that looked as if the tree itself had created it, for it was completely natural in design. "Oh, Sakura…"

"Don't pity me." It was a demand more than a request.

"Why? Because you don't deserve it?"

"Don't mock me either," she said, her eyes glowing with a red ember that was undoubtedly provided by The Firey.

Eriol knew he was on uneven ground, but he proceeded anyways. "You _do _deserve it," and before she could interrupt, he continued on. "Ever since you were ten you had the responsibility of saving the world and controlling a power that no ten year-old should have to control. You gave up your friends, your life, your childhood to do what you thought was right. Doesn't that deserve any sympathy?"

"I am warning you!" Sakura threatened while a fire erupted from behind her chair, a good twenty feet above the hair on Eriol's head.

"SAKURA, HALT!" And Eriol rose in the swirl of a blue tornado upwards to her throne and stopped in front of her, fully transformed into Clow Reed, no longer the smiling and kind magician, but a fully fledged sorcerer in his prime.

At these words, the fire behind Sakura died and she slumped into the back of the chair, covering her face with shame as she sobbed freely into her hands. "I'm so sorry, Clow Reed," she murmured between outbursts of tears. "I have failed you and the cards and…mostly myself."

"Then let me feel sorry for you," Clow Reed said and scooped Sakura into his arms and held her like a father holds a daughter he knows that he can't fix. Sakura cried into Clow Reed's thick blue robes for quite some time, and he let her do so until she was ready and stopped.

Sakura wiped her face quickly before looking up at Clow Reed. She had forgotten how tall he was. "My heart aches, Clow Reed, and because of it, I have lost my way," Sakura feebly explained, not knowing how to word exactly what was going through her mind. "It's just too hard. I can't fight these new cards and I certainly can't do it without him."

Clow Reed was quiet for quite some time, and just when Sakura thought that he wouldn't say another word to her, he picked her up from his lap as if she were a doll, and glided her to the ground. He searched the inside of the ancient tree trunk until he found what he needed and beckoned to Sakura. "Do you see this blackened spot?" And Sakura nodded. He took her hand and made her feel it; each hole and burned crevice. "There was a fire here, long ago." Clow Reed smiled at the look of astonishment on Sakura's face. "This place is not of your imagination, Sakura, as the Create would have you believe. No…some of the best stories come from the most humble and real beginnings. This forest you have created is just outside of the small town I was raised in. I played here often in these woods and learned a great many things about the power of the natural world. And this tree was my favorite spot." Sakura touched the tree with a new understanding and let Clow Reed continue. "After the fire, I believed that the tree was too damaged to grow, but look at it now. How large and powerful it stands." Sakura looked above her in amazement at how large the cavern in which she stood was. When she looked back down, standing in Clow Reed's place was Eriol, who she was just as thankful to see.

"Scar tissue is stronger than muscle tissue, Sakura," Eriol said, putting his arms around his dear friend.

"I really loved him," she whispered as she let Eriol take her outside the trunk and into the forest. "It's so cold, Eriol. Why did I have to make it so cold?" She wondered to no one in particular as Madison rushed to meet her.

Within a few minutes, they were back into Madison's cabin, normal as it usually was, and her bathroom was just as small and insignificant as always.

After a large homecooked lunch of beef stew, asiago bread, and red wine, Sakura, Eriol, and Madison sat on the large sage couches that adorned the living room, with a deep fire ablaze in front of them. Sakura sat on the couch directly across from the fire, watching the flames as she slowly sipped on her wine and bundled up in a fleece blanket. The ends of her hair were still wet from the ice crown she had worn in the forest, and she let it drip absentmindedly onto the couch. No one had spoken since Eriol and Madison had carried Sakura into the house, but instead they had let her lay on the couch, quietly sobbing, while they both cooked lunch in the kitchen, each of them quiet out of the respect of Sakura.

Finally, Sakura took the large green glass bottle of cabernet and poured herself a generous amount before she spoke: "Thank you…for what you both did to help me," she said truly, looking at both of them with appreciative looks. "If you hadn't found me, I think I would have stayed in there forever." Sakura tipped the large glass to her lips and took a long sip. "It was much better than the reality outside."

"Sakura," Madison said, inching towards her friend from her spot on the perpendicular couch, trying to reach out to her. "I wish you would have called me. Why did you have to do this by yourself?" And with those words, tears ran down Sakura's cheeks without a sob or a outburst. Madison could feel tears threatening to spill over herself as she unsteadily said, "What happened to you?"

Sakura couldn't hold it in anymore, and she allowed herself to cry freely, even though she had never wanted to show signs of weakness to anyone. "Li," she choked out. Madison quickly moved to sit next to her best friend, taking the wine glass from her hand and moving it to the coffee table in front of her.

"Where is Li?" Eriol said, moving to Sakura's other side, though a little uncomfortably. Although Eriol was pleased to help Sakura in any way, and looked upon her like a dear relative, comforting others was still awkward and foreign to him after being without close human contact for so long. But then his mind went back to Li: _He must have felt such a powerful unbalance, especially coming from her. Why isn't he here?_

"He's gone," Sakura simply stated, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Madison questioned. "Where did he go?"

"Who knows. He might be back in Hong Kong by now," Sakura said quietly, hoping that it wasn't true, but knowing that it just might be. She knew that the only thing keeping Li to Japan was her and nothing else. "Li and I…we're done. It's over."

"Oh, no!" Madison said, weeping for her friend. "But you love each other…it just can't be over."

"But that's just it. Love wasn't enough this time. It never was." And Sakura, despite Madison's protests, grabbed the wine glass in front of her and swallowed until she couldn't anymore. Although Madison and Eriol both knew that drinking wouldn't solve their friend's problems, neither of them were about to stop her.

"But why? Why now? I just don't understand," Madison said, looking from Eriol to Sakura for an answer. "Why would he leave after everything was going so well?"

Sakura shook her head, unable to give her friends the answers they so desperately wanted to hear. And Sakura knew they deserved to know the reason why they found Sakura as an ice queen in the trunk of a massive tree, but she felt so claustrophobic that she suddenly stood up and walked over to the sliding glass doors and let herself out onto the porch. She walked to the front and let her hands grip the wooden railing, as if she didn't have the strength to keep herself from following. She took another deep drink from her wine glass until she had emptied it, and she couldn't stop her memory when her mind's eye was transported back to when she had first used The Libra with Li's help and they had walked in King Penguin Park:

_ "I will never leave you Sakura."_

_ "You won't?" she whispered._

_ "Nope. Never."_

"You're such a goddamn liar, Li," she cried to herself, as Madison and Eriol came out onto the porch and into the air of a midday overcast. "He said he would never leave me, Madison. No matter what." Eriol took the emptied wine glass away from Sakura, worried that she would throw it over the railing.

"There must have been a reason," Madison said, comforting her best friend by rubbing her back.

"He said," Sakura sobbed. "That he knew about Megumi's tattoo and he had grown tired of chasing after me…because I preferred to do things on my own." And with the cascading of more tears onto the fleece blanket Sakura had wrapped herself in, rain fell from the sky, beginning to lightly wet everything around them. "We promised to stay true to each other…no matter what," Sakura said, between the breaks in her sobbing. "And I lied to him. How can he fight next to someone he can't even trust?"

"But, Sakura," Eriol said, finding his voice in such a delicate matter. "How can you fight next to someone who left you when you needed him the most?" And with that said, Eriol chastised himself for getting in the middle of this. _I'm her magical guardian and mentor and I have no right to discuss the personal life of the Card Mistress._ Yet even as he said this and looked to the sky, Eriol saw two clouds that were unlike the others and held the unmistakableb entities of both The Cloud and The Rain. "Sakura," Eriol said, lying a hand on her shoulder. "Have you summoned anything recently?"

"Eriol, she's in no state to do such a thing. How could you…" But Eriol had pointed to the sky, and Madison knew why he had to ask. Above them were too mischievous and playful young children, riding clouds and causing the collection of rain that was about to fall from the sky. "We should go inside," Madison said nervously, as Sakura looked upon her cards, freely playing far above them.

"I didn't call them," Sakura said in confused wonder, as Madison guided her back inside the cabin. "How could this be?"

"Sakura, there's many serious things we need to talk about. Come," Eriol said, beckoning her inside the cabin, right before the cracking sound of thunder and the sound of a million shotguns firing as a torrential downfall smacked the surface of the wooden deck.

In the kitchen, Madison was preparing fresh lemonade as a way to distract herself from what was going on. Although she had witnessed the capturing of the Clow Cards and then the following transformation into Sakura Cards, this was unlike anything she had ever witnessed. So many ideas and theories were running through her head, but she realized that this was the time for Eriol to speak and for her to just listen. So, in order to make sure she didn't interrupt him, she set to the task of doing something productive with her hands; hence, the making of lemonade.

Madison quickly and quietly began to wash the lemons as Eriol took an informal approach to addressing Sakura, and sat next to her on the wooden barstools aligning the island.

"Sakura," he began, preparing himself for what was to come. "When Clow Reed created the Cards, he intentionally also created a key so that the future master, which he knew to be you, would have to physically be connected to the act of mastering the cards. However, as we have just witnessed outside and in the snowy forest we found you in, this no longer is true." And as Eriol said this, from the dark wooden island emerged a spindling green stem and a single white lily bloomed from its tip. Sakura reached out and gently welcomed the flower, stroking its petals and taking in its sweet smell. "This," Eriol said, half-frustrated and half-anxious, "is exactly what I'm talking about. Flower, can we do this at another time?" There was a short giggle from somewhere in the kitchen and the lily broke off its stem that withered back into the shrinking hole in the middle of the island.

Sakura took the flower in her hands and held it as a reminder of the Flower's kindness. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Sakura, it seems as though the Cards are now reacting to your will through your emotions. This could be _very_ dangerous," Eriol said, looking straight into Sakura's eyes.

"But…didn't Clow Reed summon the Cards through the very same means?" Sakura asked. "So couldn't this be considered a good thing?"

"Yes, Sakura, Clow Reed didn't need a physical conduit to call upon the cards, but he also was the greatest magician that has ever lived. He had spent years meditating and controlling the balance within himself, which, eventually, turned into the creation of The Libra. However," Eriol said strictly, "your powers are not of the same caliber as Clow Reed's yet. But, somehow, they seemed to have grown exponentially within the last twenty-four hours." Eriol took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "This isn't good, Sakura."

"But," Madison said, unable to stay quiet any longer. She sighed in frustration. "Look, I know I don't know much about the Clow Cards, but if Sakura is growing stronger and we're fighting new and very formidable opponents, I'm going to have to agree with Sakura; there doesn't seem to be a downside to her new abilities."

"Sakura," Eriol said, trying to stay rational instead of getting angry. "You need to look at this subjectively. In the roots of that tree, you were a version of yourself that was powerful but very frightening. Imagine if Madison had walked into the base of that tree and not myself. What would you have done to her?"

"But that's different," Sakura said. "I would have known it was her."

"Would you?" Eriol asked. "Honestly, Sakura. You were a dark queen that only Clow Reed would have trifled with, and you shrank in his presence but not mine. So what makes you think you would have been so benevolent towards Madison?" Eriol put back on his glasses and drank a sip of his lemonade that Madison had begun serving. "Sakura, just at the name of Li Showron did The Firey eclipse into flames. Your emotions have become wild and uncontrollable." As soon as he said it, he realized how horrible that had sounded.

Sakura looked down to the ground, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Eriol."

"No, Sakura. It is I who am sorry," Eriol apologized, putting a hand on Sakura's back. "You can't control how you feel."

"Well…how did this all begin?" Madison asked, breaking the tension that had just descended upon the room. "Something must have triggered it all."

"Do you think it had something to do with how I used The Libra?" Sakura asked, taking a sip of the lemonade and trying to sober herself up, in more ways than one.

"If my assumptions are correct than, yes," Eriol said, getting up from the island. "But I need to know more, and to do that I need to be more in touch with Clow Reed. This whole experience has been very unnerving."

"But Eriol, surely you knew this was going to happen," Sakura asked.

"No, Sakura, I didn't," Eriol said, grabbing his jacket and glancing at Madison quickly before he departed for Clow Reed's mansion.

After Eriol had left, Sakura had taken a long nap, exhausted from her emotions, the thought of not being able to control her cards, and the giant two glasses of wine she had drank only a few hours earlier. She awoke upstairs this time on a soft bed with a crocheted blanket covering her. Sakura turned over to her side and noticed Madison sitting on a rocking chair, dress in hand, concentrating on her sewing.

"You look like my grandmother," Sakura said, and then coughed, which caused her head to throb in pain. "Uhhhh…why did I drink all that wine?"

"Punishment for bad jokes about sewing old ladies," Madison retorted, smiling. She left her garment on the chair as she came over and sat next to Sakura.

"You know, I just can't decide how I'm feeling right now. I don't know whether to be grieving or completely pissed off, or…I've been thinking…maybe it's better this way. Maybe being with Li was a giant mistake."

"No, Sakura. You can't really believe that."

"Well, why not? I mean, it was the same fight every time: I wanted to be able to handle myself and he just wanted to protect me. I'm not some damsel in distress."

"Oh, we all know that," Madison said smiling, but then she switched her tone; afterall, she still couldn't believe that Sakura and Li had left behind all that could have been. "But you have loved him for so long, Sakura. How could that be wrong?"

Sakura thought for a moment and all the sweet and soft memories came rushing back to her: the first time they kissed on the back of the bus, the night he sketched her picture, their long walks in King Penguin Park…all of it was so wonderful, even the bad times. "You're right, Madison. I miss him so much," she said and then the tears came streaming down her cheeks. "Oh, God. What have I done?" And she reached out towards her best friend like a child reaching out for their mother after they had skinned their knee. "And Madison…all I keep thinking about is what Eriol said…that Li _must _have felt the magical unbalance, yet he didn't come for me after all. Is it really over so soon?"

"I don't know, honey, but—"Madison was cut off short as her cell phone began to vibrate in the pocket of her purse. The number on the caller id was one that she didn't recognize, but she picked it up regardless. "Hello?"  
"How serious is Sakura?"

"Oh, Eriol…it's you," Madison said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Madison, please," Eriol said again, pleading with her. "How serious is she?"

"About what?" Madison said, uncertainty creeping up again. Sakura looked to her, also confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Remember what Sakura said about wanting to fight alone; do you think she really meant it?"

"I don't know, why? Is it really that important?"

Eriol took off his glasses and let them fall to the large wooden desk he was sitting at. He rubbed his eyes, contemplating how he should help Sakura next. "Well, for all our sakes, I hope she was." He leaned back in his chair. "Li's gone, Madison. He left."

"What? Are you sure?"

"His aura is fleeting; I can barely sense it anymore."

"Oh, no," Madison cried; looking over to Sakura, she contemplated how she was going to tell her friend. "What does this mean?"

"A lot of things are going to change. She doesn't know _how _to fight alone and—"

"Eriol, if you're talking about me, do it to my face," Sakura said, grabbing the phone out of desperation and anger. Next to her, Madison's hands were at her face as she nervously watched her friend converse with Eriol. "If Li's gone then…then it was his choice," Sakura said, fighting back tears.

"Yes, Sakura, but these aren't the Clow Cards anymore," Eriol said, raising his voice. He hated to treat Sakura like a child, but he was, afterall, much older than she was. "You must realize that Li has always been vital to the mistress' duties; he is a descendent of Clow Reed himself, afterall, and you would be fooling yourself if your meeting with him almost a decade ago was based on pure chance!"

"I know, Eriol but…"

"Wake up, Sakura!" Eriol yelled, not wanting to but not seeing any other choice. "You are alone! Isn't that what you wanted?"

And for the first time since she broke up with Li, Sakura wasn't so sure anymore.

Miles away in Tokyo, Li Showron shut the door to the black and red taxi cab, grabbed his large duffel bag, and headed to Gate 59: Hong Kong, China, one-way.


	17. Walls

Author's Note: I could ramble on and apologize for not getting this out sooner and la-di-la-di-dah, but you already know that. So just sit tight and enjoy the next installment which is acting as a turning point for many things. The next few chapters will really change the course of this story, so just hang tight, my little chickadees.

Chapter Seventeen: Walls

The days wasted away into an oblivion of time like sand in an hourglass. And yet, while each minute slowly crept into the next, the unusually quiet city of Reedington, Japan went on as it always had; as if it had never heard the name of Sakura or Clow Reed whispered upon the winds of Spring. Students were becoming restless and irritable as the high school's two-week holiday was coming to a very quick and ill-timed close.

Yes…it was as if the Cards never existed at all.

Sakura sat on her windowsill; one leg dangling on the rooftop as she absentmindedly watched the sun set over the skyline of the city: a city that held all of her finest memories and worst nightmares. Her long brown skirt flirted with the cool breeze as she wrapped her arms around herself to counterpart the sudden chill that ran up her spine. _So much has changed within the last few days_, she thought. _I scarcely recognize this house_. And it was true. She could hear her brother and her father downstairs, preparing dinner. Even after her father came home, surprising her after a too-long archaeological hiatus, she still felt like this house was empty…or maybe, was it too full now? She could no longer discern between the two. _I am so sick of this goddamn town_, she thought angrily.

She wiped a stubborn tear from her face and climbed back into her room, wishing to no longer look at the fading sun. Yet, as she stood in front of the silver dress in front of her and then, simultaneously, the dance later that night, she wanted to rip them both to shreds.

But she had to go. She had things to do.

As she sat on her bed, contemplating what to do with the hour she had left before she had to attend the Gala, she heard a soft rapping upon her door; it was hesitant and unsure. Sakura didn't answer; just stared vacantly at her dress upon the bed.

"It's me," said a quiet voice. Again there was silence. _What do I say?_ Sakura thought to herself; scanning her brain for a valid excuse.

She didn't find one.

"Come in," she said flatly; her voice was neither welcoming nor malevolent.

Madison quickly opened the door, stepped inside without haste, and immediately shut the door again, as if she were seeking shelter from a blizzard. Without preamble she strode over to Sakura.

"I'm sorry," she said meekly, and before Sakura could just shrug her shoulders, Madison slapped Sakura across the face. Hard.

"Madison!" she scowled; but this time, her emotions were a reaction to what had happened instead of faking the emotions of what she should have felt. "What the hell was that for?" The hair that had flew onto her face from the hand-slapping backlash crowded her eyes as she yelled at her best friend.

"_That_," Madison said, but stopped before she continued. She took a deep breath and walked closer to Sakura, utterly calm. "That," she repeated, eerily soft-spoken but quite firm. "was for how you have shut yourself up for these past few days."

"Madison, I've been fine," Sakura said, yet she overted her eyes.

"Yeah, Sakura. You're right," Madison said, throwing up her hands in the air in a very melodramatic gesture. "You're fine. You are A-okay, aren't you?" She turned away quickly, and then, without another word, she turned back to Sakura and slapped her again. Yet, this time, she didn't hold back. It was hard. It was dirty. It was just plain mean.

This hit was sloppier than the last time, however, and she ended up smacking most of Sakura's mouth; so hard, that her lower lip began to bleed.

Sakura turned back to Madison after the backlash, with the power of rage and anger in her eyes. She breathed heavily…in and out…in and out rapidly and raised her hand slowly. Madison stood her ground, her cheeks red with an anger equal to rival the girl sitting in front of her. Sakura's hand began to shake in the air as Madison waited. There were no words in the air, yet there was a thickness of a thousand words that should have, could have, been said. Finally, Sakura dropped her arm and began to intake sharp breaths before she broke down completely.

Madison wasn't sure how she was doing it. Truly, she should have been crying herself by now, but something had changed inside her within the last few weeks, and she carried this change with her now as she knelt in front of Sakura and put her hands on her friend's knees.

"Sakura, I—"

"No, Madison," Sakura said, uncovering her face and looking into the purple Elizabeth Taylor eyes of the girl kneeling at her feet. "You are nothing short of completely and theoretically correct." Sakura stood up abruptly and Madison rose to meet her. "I am not fine. Obviously, I'm not the greatest actress either."

Madison chuckled softly and the warmth returned to her face. "Sakura, I know—"

"No," she said, putting up her hands. It was the universal sign for stop, but it wasn't peaceful, as Madison would have imagined. "You don't know, Madison. While I have been _grieving _for a part of my heart that has long-since died, and fighting the invisible fight since I was twelve years old, and not having a mother…" Sakura stopped, not wanting to offend Madison, but also wanting to get her point across. _I need to say this_, she told herself. "The point is…Madison…is that I have too much going on right now." Madison maintained her silence, knowing that Sakura needed this time to get out whatever she had been holding back these past days. "I don't expect you to understand and, in fact, I don't want you to."

At this statement, Madison frowned and reached for Sakura. "But all I want to do—"

"It's not about that," Sakura said, moving away from her friend. "I know you just want to care for me, as only a best friend can understand. But you can't come with me this time, Madison. You just can't."

The silence hung between them like a corpse swinging from a noose, but neither of them noticed the dead body clouding the air between them.

Suddenly, as all epiphanies come by, Madison understood. "Sakura, you've been planning something, haven't you?"

Sakura neither nodded nor shook her head; she just turned towards her bed and touched the edges of the silver garment laying there. "I need you to help me prepare for tonight."

Madison could have said a million and one things right then. She could have questioned Sakura and her motives. She could have told her to "go fuck herself" and forced her to fill her in on what she was planning to do. She could have dragged her blindfolded and naked through the streets, waving a bell in hand, sending a warning to the townspeople that they had a conspirator in their midst. But she did D) none of the above.

With her hands on her hips, she approached the bed casually. "Well, then. I suppose you didn't bother to buy any matching makeup?" She looked at her best friend now; not looking for the answer to that question but looking for the answer to: _is this really what you want_? She didn't expect an answer.

"You know me too well." An obscure answer, but an answer just the same.

"Well then," Madison said, picking up the dress, as if examining it for clues. "We have less than an hour and, I predict, you have quite the entrance to make."

Sakura smiled, despite what she knew was going to happen tonight.

_Or quite the opposite, _Sakura thought to herself.

The light hinted at a light blue ambiance but, in reality, it was more of a navy blue/blackish light that set upon the gymnasium of Reedington High School. The gym had been slowly converted these past few days from a quasi-rank room of wood and metal, to a soft and alluring post-World War II Hollywood theme. In the long hall leading to the gym, there were posters from such masterpieces as _Casablanca _and Cecil B. Demille's _The King of Kings_ and a long red carpet adorned the floor. The girl that stood at the end of this hallway noticed that the front doors to the gym had long wooden posts on either side and the doors had been painted gold; no doubt this had been accomplished to resemble the infamous Graumen's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles and, sure enough, there were mock foot-and-hand prints lining the front door with names of the nominated prom king and queens. Madison was shocked. _I never thought that the prom committee could have pulled this off!_

Madison stood at the front of the golden doors and handed Chelsea, a volunteer for the prom committee, her prom ticket. "Well, hello there!" she said, upon taking her ticket and creating a large star-shaped hole with the puncher in her hand. "Have a great time at this year's prom and remember, drive safe!"

"Chelsea, you don't have to give me that speech," Madison said, shaking her head. Chelsea looked at her quizzically and then Madison knew why. "Don't tell me you can't recognize me. This took twenty minutes and…"

"Oh my!" Chelsea said; her hands rising to her mouth in awe. "I didn't even notice you! You look…so beautiful."

And it was true. Madison stood in a jet-black, mid-calf, silk chiffon, short-sleeved dress. Around the waist was an extravagantly thick black belt with a rectangular diamond buckle in the middle. She wore black lace gloves that ran up a little past her wrist with flair, and her black leather and lace Dior clutch matched perfectly. Her makeup was light and airy for her black hair was an accessory enough, and she wore black three inch pumps. "Thank you, Chelsea! You look beautiful as well," Madison said, grabbing Chelsea's hands. "Hey…you haven't seen Sakura by the way? I was supposed to meet her here some time ago—"

"I haven't seen her yet…Kuro," came a low and quiet voice from behind her. Madison turned around and saw, of course, Eriol standing behind here. She strode up and took him by the arm and dragged him off to the side. "Madison, be careful. You're going to step on the—"

"Eriol, I don't care," Madison said, staring him straight in the eyes. "You are NOT.SUPPOSED.TO.BE.HERE," she said through clenched teeth, even though it sounded more like a half-yell.

"Madison, I—"

"No, really. You literally can't be here," she tried to explain. "How did even get past Chelsea? You don't have a ticket, you're not a member of this school," she said, listing off the reasons Eriol wasn't supposed to be at the prom on her hand. "And you weren't even invited by—"

He smiled, took her hands surrpetiously and drew her close to him; he encompassed her lower back with his hands in a tight embrace. "I can be anywhere I want," he whispered to her. "I…I like you," he said, drawing away from her. Her wide-eyed expression said it all: Uncertainty, chaos, corruption, indifference, love, benevolence, etc. etc. "But that does not mean that I can abstain from doing my job," he said, pausing. He grabbed her shoulders and looked into her purple eyes; purple was such an abnormal optical color, but for him, it was as normal as breathing air. "I am Clow Reed, no matter what I think is important. It does not matter," he emphasized. "My duty is to the mistress."

"That may be so," Madison said, looking him straight into his eyes; her stare not faltering for a second. "But what does that have to do with this Prom, eh?"

"I don't know."

Madison took him by the hand and entered the double golden doors that lead into the inside of the pseudo Graumen's Chinese Theatre. They stepped into a red and gold hall aligned with televisions, Madison noticed, that had been quite obviously borrowed from the Video Yearbook room. Each television played famous scenes from equally famous movies. They walked down the hall quietly until she pulled him aside, feigning as if to watch the screen in front of him.

Cleopatra was in black and white as she said in her most queenly voice, "I am the Nile."

"So," Madison said turning towards Eriol as couples and groups of people going stag walked by. "If your showing up here is purely business," Madison said, folding her arms. "Then tell me…is it a card? Because of my senior prom is about to be ruined because of some stars, then I would like to know."

"No," Eriol said, shaking his head. "I don't quite think it's a card."

"Not a card?" Madison asked uncertainly.

"No," Eriol said, smiling.

"What's so funny?" She asked, moving away from him. "How can you laugh on such a _business _trip?"

"Whoever said it was business, Kuro?" He said, taking her by the arm and stroking her skin softly.

"But you said…that whole business about Clow Reed and your duty to Sakura?"

"It was nothing," he said, smiling still, yet knowing full well that it wasn't nothing. But before Madison could protest, there came voices from behind them.

"You look fine, how many times have I told you?"

"But I want to hear it again, my darling. Who knows when you'll run off to China again and leave me…wanting more."

"That voice," Madison growled under her breath. She turned around and saw a dark red-clad Selena and Li Showran, walking directly for them. Selena had both of her hands wrapped greedily around Li's arm as he nervously looked around, obviously distracted by something…or someone.

"Madison, don't—" Eriol said, reaching out to her, but it was too late.

"Well, well, well," Madison said, striding up to them both. "If it isn't the Queen of Despot herself."  
"Madison, please—" Li started, standing directly in between the two.

She put up a hand in warning. "Why is it that men are always trying to tell me what they think is right and what is wrong? As if they know," she said the last part through clenched teeth. Li never thought that Madison could look menacing until this moment.

"Madison, can we please just talk? I've written to you this past week and—"

"Oh, can it, Li Showran," Madison said quietly. "It was upsetting that you left, I will admit," she said, meeting his eyes. "But you should have stayed in China. If Sakura sees you here you'll break her. Do you realize that?"

Li looked away from her eyes, unable to meet them. "Madison," he started softly, but he was never able to finish it. A gong sounded again and again and again.

"What is that?" Eriol said, looking around.

"That," came a voice from behind them all. "Tells the Hollywood Elite, as it were, that the doors are closing and no one is to be let inside the Graumen Theatre for the rest of the evening."

Li was the first one who turned, out of instinct more than anything, for his body knew before his mind or heart who it was behind him. Immediately as he saw her, he cursed his body for doing so, because now his mind was tuned to her and his heart beated unsteadily as he took the sight of her in. She looked like the Ancient World herself: white and gold silken fabrics wound themselves tight into a slick twisted braid down her shoulders as bands of white covered her breasts and then vertically swooped down her stomach and finally met just above her belly button; below that, a gold hoped chain rests at her hips, hugging them tightly; and far below the golden belt, white silk, thick yet fairly light, swirled down to the floor; her back was held by two long straps, identical to the ones on her shoulder, and met at her lower back where it became thicker and then linked to her skirt. Her hair that had once been long had been cut an inch above her shoulder, just as short (if not shorter) than when she had it as a kid, and yet her hair had been darkened quite a few shades, almost bordering black. Her eyes were black with eyeliner. Simply put, she was the most stunning sight these walls had ever seen or ever would see.

"Cleopatra, eh? Well, that's rich," Selena said, laughing. "You do know that this is a prom, right? Not a costume ball." Again she laughed as Li chuckled softly to himself. Madison glared at him, but then let her face relax as she realized that Li's eyes looked unusually glassy.

"Selena," Sakura said softly, but her tone was nothing but soft. She sashayed up to her and gave her the once over. "Dressed in a voluptuous red with your breasts looking absolutely suffocated, as per usual. You really know how to upscale the look of whore."

"Don't think—" she began, but stopped as Sakura glared at her with such a force that Selena swore that she saw a fire raging behind her eyes. She blinked once and then again, but it was still there.

"Until now, I don't think I have seen the depths of unintelligence until you opened you obscenely thin mouth." And then, for the first time, Sakura looked at Li. "I understand why you lost her virginity to her, but kissing her during sex must have been something awful."

"Sakura, you don't have to do this," Li said. "This is our junior prom. We can go about this peacefully."

Sakura raised her hand, the gold and black bracelets on her wrist clinking together as she did. "There's no need to worry, Li," she said, as amiably as she could muster. "Consider this the last time we have to engage in such discussions. Ever," she said, moving past him and joining Madison and Eriol, urging them to walk away with her.

"Good," Selena said, striding across the room before Li could stop her. "I'm already feeling glad…no, joyous to the fact that neither of us will ever have to deal with _your _kind ever again. You and your friends are _beneath_ us," she said through clenched teeth and then spit at the floor at Sakura's feet.

She didn't wince. "No, Selena. It is _you_ who are beneath _me_. And don't you ever forget that," she said and stared into the eyes of her nemesis for some time. With lightening speed, Sakura dropped to her knees and spun around as she twirled one of her feet under her so that Selena fell to the floor. "And that," Sakura said, standing up. "Is so that you always remember where…your…place…is." She turned to Madison and Eriol and put one hand on both of their shoulders and lead them to the main room.

"Sakura! I'm not privy to know of high school law, but I'm sure you just broke several of them," Eriol said as they walked the rest of the hallway, television screens blaring old Hollywood scenes at them as they strode quickly past.

"Do you honestly think I care?" Sakura said, walking as quickly as she could without running and causing more of a scene than she already did. Luckily enough, not many people had just witnessed what had happened.

"Sakura! Stop!" came a voice from behind her. Thinking that it was a chaperone who must have seen what had happened between her and Selena, Sakura kept walking, pulling Eriol and Madison along with her. "Sakura!!!"

"WHAT?!" she screamed, letting go of Madison and Eriol and whirling around to face her verbal assailant.

And there behind her was Li.

"Sakura, I just want to talk to you," he said, concern lining the etches in his face. She stood there just staring at him, while Selena was quickly walking up behind him, obviously furious. "Please," he said, almost begging.

"Fine," Sakura said. "As long as _she_'s not around."

"Fine," Li said. He turned around to an irate Selena. Madison couldn't make out what they were saying to each other, but it was more than obvious that Selena was clearly upset and Li was doing everything in his power to calm her down. Eventually, Selena scoffed in disgust and strode away, picking up her long dress as she walked with intensity and anger past them.

"Eriol, Madison: I'll meet you inside."

"Are you sure, Sakura?" Madison whispered to her as she grabbed her arm. "We can stay if you—"

"I'll be fine," Sakura whispered back, looking to Li. He shifted uncomfortably in his suit and turned to his side, looking as if he needed some privacy as he adjusted his tie.

They both waited a few minutes in silence as the last of the prom-clad students walked from the entrance hall into the main atrium. As soon as they were sure that everyone was gone, they walked towards where the locked golden doors were, without talking to each other still.

Sakura stood, suddenly very interested in the lettering of a movie poster, while Li rested his shoulder against the side of the red hall, looking more exhausted than ever.

"It's ironic you should leave China just to come back to the Graumen's Chinese Theatre. It's like you never left your homeland, don't you think?" She asked, turning to him.

"Oh, come off it, Sakura," he said, standing up straight with the anger infused in each of his words. "I needed some time away after we—"

"Don't say it. Don't you _dare _say it," she said through pursed lips as she walked towards him, a very long and tense index finger pointing up at his face. "You don't get to say _anything_ that refers to us ever again. Do you understand me?!"

"You know, I had more respect for you when I thought you were incapable of playing the angry ex-girlfriend, but apparently I was wrong!"

"Oh, and here's the strong Li Showran! I wouldn't know if you were angry because you are incapable of showing any emotion whatsoever!"  
"One could say the same about you! Your aura has completely changed since I left. I barely recognized it at all when I first felt it upon my return! What has happened to you?!"

"At least I felt something after we broke up! You! You just ran off like you always do when you get scared! So don't get pissed off at me just because I was a little fucking upset afterwards! I mean, honestly, Li!" She said, tears beginning to gather at the lids of her eyes. "How hard would it have been to at least pretend to be upset about it."

"I FUCKING WAS UPSET!" He screamed at her. She backed away until the wall behind her stopped her from fleeing any further. He took a few deep breaths before he turned around.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," he said, ashamed of how he had just treated her. His back was to her as he continued talking. "Look, all I wanted to say was that there is no reason why we can't be civil to each other tonight." Li sighed. "And that includes leaving Selena alone. She doesn't deserve it."

"Although I can't agree with you, I promise that I won't say or do anything to her for the rest of the evening," Sakura said. "And now you have to promise me something."

"What is that?"

"Don't talk to Eriol or Madison, or any of my other friends tonight."

"What?" Li said, finally turning around. "They're my friends too, Sakura. You can't just tell me not to talk to them."

"Isn't that what you're asking me to do?"

"You never liked Selena, and that's a fact!"

"Whatever. I don't care, anymore. Do what you want," Sakura said, beginning to walk away.

"Wait," Li said, going to grab her arm.

"Don't touch me," Sakura said flatly and without emotion and snaked her arm away from his grasp. "You lost that right a long time ago."

"Fine. Sorry," he said meekly. "I just need to know one thing."

"Fine. What?"

"Are you okay? I just need to know that you're doing alright."

She was quiet for sometime and he almost thought that she wouldn't answer his question. But when she spoke, it was with a calm certainty that he had never seen from her before. "That is yet another privilege that you don't have the right to having." She paused as he watch his face unconsciously wince, enjoying the pleasure of harming him. "I deserve that," he said, frowning. He wanted to go on a tirade about how the breakup was mutual, but he didn't have the energy to fight with her anymore. "Just one more thing: how are we going to deal with the new Cards? I mean, we can barely speak to each other. How are we supposed to fight on the same side when we're clearly…not?"

"Don't worry about that," she said, looking down at the carpet. "I've already figured that out," she said and then raised her head and looked at him; straight through him. "Goodbye, Li Showran," she said shortly, and turned around.

The shuffling of her sandals echoed in the empty hall as she left Li Showran more lonely than he ever could remember being.

&

After the initial confrontation, Li, Sakura, and their respectable parties both sat at very opposite ends of the ballroom, intent on ignoring each other wholeheartedly. The inside of the gym was made to resemble a lavish Oscars after-party: pyramids of champagne glass fountains stood at the centerpiece of each white and red table, detailed with the finest cloths; low-hanging chandeliers, suspended from the ceiling that was forty feet above, hung over each square table; lavish red and white sleeves of a heavy cloth material hung from corner to corner of the room, so much so that the inside of the gym resembled an over-the-top inside of Jeannie's bottle.

Sakura, Eriol, Madison, Nikki, Chelsea, and Zach sat at one table, listening to Zach describe his proof that leprechauns are no more than disgruntled midgets with a liking to green clothes and gold, while Selena, Li, Lance (Li's soccer co-captain), and his date, an overenthusiastic sophomore by the name of Kaylee Jones, sat at another with a few other of the esteemed members of the popular elite.

It was nearing midnight, and any moment the prom court would be asked to stand on the raised circular platform in the middle of the floor that had, until this moment, served as the dance floor. Waiters and waitresses brought eight gold chairs onto the stage, all decorated with royal blue leather and suede. Set upon two pillows atop a simple table were a large golden crown and a smaller identical crown next to it.

Sakura watched all this happen and scowled quietly as she stirred her drink. "This is fucking ridiculous," she said under her breath.

"Sakura," Madison said, leaning towards her. "I know that you're attempting to sound completely disinterested in the prom all night to yourself, but trust me; your quiet dissent is anything but."

"I know," she sighed. "Why did I even come?"

"You stole the words right out of my mouth," Madison said as Eriol bent towards her, whispering something into her ear.

"Oh, look!" Chelsea said, pointing to the center stage. Many of the other tables around them had similar reactions as a large chandelier, larger than any of the others over the smaller tables, was lowered from the ceiling. When it reached its destination, it glowed brightly as all the other lights in the main room were dimmed simultaneously. Aeika Jones, the senior class president, took the center stage with a microphone in hand and started her speech. Once she was finished, she invited all of the prom court onto stage, including Selena and Lance, and read off all the names and accomplishments of each member of the court. Every student that had been preoccupied before stood up and moved towards the large center stage, eager to begin the final dance and cheer on the prom king and queen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Reedington High School's new prom king and queen: Dean Fischer and Selena Coulter!" A large eruption of applause and hollers came from the crowd as the two took the floor and were crowned by the president and vice president of the senior class. Everyone joined the new royal couple on the stage and the final slow song began as people slowly began to pair off and enjoy the last slow dance of the year.

Madison and Eriol were dancing towards the edge of the left side of the stage, and she waved to Sakura who was still sitting at the table. Sakura waved back and faked a smile.

The slow song came and went and finally the DJ announced (after a quick word from the principal) that the next song would, indeed, be the last. Li quickly ascended the stairs and found Selena, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek; a smile adorned his face. Sakura sat at the table, watching this scene and she knew that, finally, the time had come for her to do what she had been planning for since Li had left for China.

She waited until she was sure she was the last one not on the dance floor and then she stood up and walked slowly over to one of the long white columns near the entrance hallway and leaned against it, watching the events transpiring in front of her. Nearer to Madison and Eriol as she would have liked, Li and Selena were dancing; arms wrapped around each other tightly as if no one else existed in the world.

_I once knew how that felt_, Sakura thought. And then, as if on cue, Li looked straight towards her as he held Selena against him, his grip on her back loosening ever so slightly. He didn't take his eyes away from her but, instead, they just stared at each other, not knowing what else to do.

So then came the inevitable.

Slowly, to make sure that he was watching intently, Sakura reached into the folds of her dress and took out a card. He stared at her helplessly while she just held it there, tears streaming down her face, and his eyes didn't flinch, not even once, when she began muttering the incantation under her breath and then, almost immediately, a dark mass of swirls and wind appeared from her feet and began wrapping around her quickly; there was no time to spare, whatsoever.

Li released Selena suddenly and jumped from the stage and ran over to Sakura, trying to reach for her before she disappeared into the darkness enveloping her. But it was too late: as he became only mere inches away from her, she had disappeared completely, and nothing was left of Sakura Kinomoto.

In that moment of time, Li was unsure of so much, but one thing he was sure of was that he would not see Sakura for quite some time.

And that would end up being true.

Author's note: I hoped you enjoyed this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it. Look out for the next one, it should be around within the next month or so. Things are about to change suddenly for our favorite heroine.


	18. A Martyr for His Cause is Worth At Least

Author's Note: Another chapter? Out? This fast? I know; it's pretty incredible. But just be prepared, my dear readers, you're in for a long and bumpy ride this chapter.

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to all of the readers who keep reading this story. I will keep writing when I think no one else is reading, even though they may be. Thank you. A thousand times…thank you.

Chapter Eighteen: A Martyr for His Cause is Worth At Least One Free Drink

"What?!" Madison yelled. "What do you mean she just disappeared?!"

In the long red hall that lead to the main room of the prom, Madison, Eriol, and Li stood surrounded by televisions playing and replaying famous scenes from black and white Hollywood movies. It was quite eerie really; dozens of voices and scenes of joy, rapture, and love exploded into the hallway, although none of its inhabitants could say they felt the same benevolence.

Li stood there shaking his bowed head, unable to relive what he had just witnessed moments before. "I already told you!" Li said back, his voice raising. "And it is quite possible for her to disappear if she wants to, which you already know!"

"_This_," Madison said, pointing an angry finger in Li's face. "This is your doing, you know that? If you hadn't left her heart to die instead of being a real man and—"

"ENOUGH!" Eriol yelled, pushing them apart. "What's done is done and there's nothing that we can do about it," he said, putting his hands out towards either one of them. "Now, follow me."  
They did so without contest. In silence, they walked to the end of the hall; television screens around them shut off as they walked by, as if from pure frustration and will alone, the passengers of the hallway refused to listen to one happy voice from around them. At the end of the red corridor, Eriol placed his hand on the door and a wave of electromagnetic energy rippled across the golden paint, turning the door a dark black. As if he was walking into his own house, Eriol opened the door and walked into the darkness beyond.

A little weary but still trusting Eriol, Li walked right after him, pulling Madison behind him. When they had entered the room a few steps, the door behind them shut and lights began to raise from the darkness until the entire front hall was illuminated in a soft glow.

It was Clow Reed's mansion.

"I don't even want to begin to know how that was possible," Madison whispered under her breath. Her pulse quickened as she realized the severity of the situation before her: she was gone and Madison knew that she would do something and yet, she hadn't stopped her. Why? These thoughts and many similar ones raced through her mind as Eriol lead them to an antechamber of the room; comforted in plush couches and a lowly lit fireplace. He gestured for them to sit down and went on without preamble.

"I knew she was leaving," and before Li could jump out of his seat, Eriol raised a hand and continued on. "I know what you're thinking, but nothing we could have done would have made her stay, and don't tell me otherwise because I know this to be true."

"How?" Li said, anger raising in his voice. "How can you be so sure?"

"Well, her hatred towards you wasn't fading away anytime soon," Madison said.

"Oh, don't blame this on me, Madison," Li said, folding his arms. "Like you didn't know she was planning on leaving."

"How could I have known?" Madison said, trying to not let her face betray her accusation.

"You're her best friend. If anyone would have known, it would have been you." Madison neither confirmed nor denied Li's statement; just turned her body away from Li and looked into the flames dancing in the fireplace. "Whatever. It doesn't matter," Li said, sighing. "We just need to find out where she is and get her back."

"And why would you care if she was back or not? You sure didn't care when you ran off to China, and I could be mistaken here, you didn't look so concerned about Sakura when you were dancing with Ms. Prom Queen herself. So don't start acting like you suddenly care when your actions up to this point have proven otherwise."

"Fuck you," Li said and then got up to pace over in the corner, next to two-story tall windows. "I'm sorry," he said after a moment.

"Whatever that means."

"Look," Eriol interrupted. "Neither of you are actually listening to me. This is something she _has_ to do. You could compare it to a Native American vision quest or the three tests of Sir Gawain or any heroic story. The point is, she has always had help from the two of you, Yue and Kerobero, or myself. She has never had to face something completely and utterly on her own thus far, and when she does try, she's chastised for it! How do you expect her to ever do anything for herself?"

"The same could be said about you," Madison said. Eriol furrowed his eyebrows for a moment before shaking his head quickly and continuing on.

"There are no coincidences; only inevitabilities," he said, standing. "You both know this is true. How could you not after all these years?" He stood, looking from Madison to Li and then back again, waiting for one of them to speak to confirm that they understood, but that moment never came.

There was a rustling outside of the door to the antechamber, and then in came a fully transformed Keroberos and Yue trailing behind.

"Thank God," Madison said, running over to Kero and throwing her arms around him. "She's gone, Kero," she said, burying her face into his thick hair. "We have to find her."

"I know, Madison," Kero said, waiting for her to stop crying before he continued. As soon as she backed up a few steps and wiped the tears from her cheeks, he went on: "Madison, I know your gut reaction is to chase her down, but there's nothing we can do. We can't find her."

Madison went to sit on the couch. "Won't anyone help me find her?" she said softly, her voice cracking.

"She's right," Li said, standing up and walking into the middle of the room. "We can't just sit here when she could be a half a world away in whatever kind of danger."

"Relax, Li," Eriol said. "She's not in any kind of danger."

"How can you be so certain?!" Li yelled. Then he stopped and thought for a moment, his face relaxing from sudden anger to intense thought. "Wait…that's the problem," he said, walking towards Eriol. "You know where she is."

"I didn't say _where_," Eriol said, sighing. "I said that I just know that she's okay."

"But how do you know, Eriol?"

Eriol looked at Keroberos and Yue before responding. "You're going to have to trust me."

Li scoffed and walked towards the fireplace, staring into the flames; it was soothing, as if he didn't have to think of Sakura being gone. He untied his tie and let it hang loose around his neck.

"I guess we're going to have to," Madison sighed, walking over to Li and putting an arm around his waist. Li smiled down at her and returned the hug, thankful that Madison was finally being kind to him. _We're not going to able to do this alone_, he thought.

"I know you're both upset, but maybe she's just as hurt as the two of you. Afterall, that disappearing act of hers was something that she _wanted_ to do and must have felt so strongly about that she didn't tell either one of you." Eriol looked down at his watch, wondering how it got to be this late so quickly. "Well, point is, there's nothing we can do about it at the moment, and certainly not tonight," he walked over to Li and Madison and stood next to him, watching the fire. "You're both more than welcome to stay here. I have plenty of room," he said, but neither of them responded to him. "Look," he said softly. "She'll probably be gone for a few weeks, a month or two at the most."

"If you say so," Madison said, a tear flowing down her cheek. Eriol went to wipe it from her face, but she flinched. _I'm not the bad guy_, he thought to himself as he left the room and ascended the stairs.

Madison and Li stood there for a long time, much longer after Kero had fell asleep on the floor and Yue had left, and they would have remained in their spots until the sun came up if Eriol hadn't given them a tea and forced them into sleep.

A few days had gone by after Sakura disappeared before Tori had contacted the local police. His father had come home only a few days later, welcomed into his house by posters that lined the streets with her face on it staring eerily back at him. The school had been alerted as well, and some of the more dedicated students formed search parties with administrators and teachers to search the surrounding towns, but it was fruitless and Li and Madison knew this. They too had acted their part of "concerned friend and citizen" in the eyes of Tori and his father, but they both knew that she hadn't been kidnapped like sources had said.

"We just have to act like we don't know what's going on…exactly," Li said to Madison one day on their way to school. "We just have to keep hoping she'll come back soon, like Keroberos said."

Madison nodded, but remained silent, pretending she was shielding herself from the rain by looking down at her feet.

Then a few weeks went by, and then a few months, and then the search had changed to something else entirely: a search for a body. Li and Madison ignored what the local and national police were saying to the media and the community as they amassed their own resources to try to find out what really happened to Sakura.

Li was driving, with Madison accompanying him in the passenger seat, as they made their way to Eriol's mansion. It was July by now and Madison stared out the window, thinking about her senior and final year at Reedington High School and how it would not be the same without her best friend.

"So," Madison said, turning to Li, and trying to jostle her mind from such unpleasant thoughts, "what did Eriol say to you on the phone?"

"He didn't call you?" Li asked, shifting gears.

"No," Madison said, going back to staring out of the window. "We haven't been exactly on the best of terms lately."

"Oh," Li said, and then, because he didn't know what else to say, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Madison said, but knowing in her heart that it really wasn't. Normally she wouldn't have continued discussing it, but her and Li had grown closer within the last few months, only because they had something in common that no two other people in the world shared: that the most important person in their lives were gone and they knew the real reason why that was so. "I mean," she continued quietly. "In my mind, Sakura would still be here if he would have stepped down from the throne of Clow Reed and acted like a real and decent human being." At such an accusation, Li did nothing but continue to listen to her. "How do you forgive someone of such an atrocity?"

"Some say that forgiveness is the highest tone of attainment," Li said, turning into the long black pavement driveway. He put in a predetermined password into a keypad at the beginning of the gates and, as they raised slowly, he pressed on the gas with a small amount of pressure, and he rolled into Clow Reed's Estates.

"Do you remember when Sakura thought she was done with the Clow Cards?" Madison asked while they parked in the driveway. They both sat in the black leather seats, pondering her question extensively.

"Yeah," Li said, turning the ignition off. "She seemed so peaceful."

"I just wonder if…if her leaving had something to do with that."

Li turned to her. "You think she ran away to find peace of mind?" Madison just nodded her head. "I guess it's possible. Eriol did say that, for her, this was some sort of journey." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Anyways…shall we?"

They both exited Li's car and walked up the stone-laden path to the front door of his house. Li raised his hand to knock but the door flew wildly open and Eriol stood in front of them, looking quite disheveled.

"Hurry, we don't have much time." And then as soon as Eriol had appeared, he disappeared back into the house. Li and Madison rushed after him, wondering what was going on to cause Eriol to be any less than reserved.

"Through here," Eriol said, pointing up ahead at a solid wood-paneled wall. He waved his hand slightly as he approached the intricately-carved wall and one of the square panels dissolved into a large red door with black trim and a black doorknob. He opened it quickly and descended the black metal curving stairwell into the darkness below. Hesitant, but curious about Eriol's behavior, Madison took charge and plunged into the darkness after him with Li following her.

At the bottom of the stairs was a long stone tunnel with light sconces hung every fifty feet apart to provide some light, albeit a flickering one. Eriol ran ahead of them, and they did the same to catch up, until they finally began to see a bright glow.

"Is this the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel?" Li asked as he ran.

"If Eriol brought us down here to die, then I will come back to life and kill him myself," Madison said, running next to him. "I can't believe you did this everyday. I've been running for thirty seconds and I already want to collapse."

"Sakura and I used to race every day. I let her beat me once, even."

"How chivalrous of you," Madison huffed, and rolled her eyes.

After another minute of running, with the light in front of them getting bigger and bigger by the second, they ran right into a circular hole in the wall. They cautiously stepped into a large room that was very unlike the rooms in the mansion above: there were old, worn oriental carpets covering the dirt floor; books lined the dusty shelves, floors, and every available space possible; in the middle of the room, on a high table, stood an odd looking conglomeration of tubes and flasks that was not unlike a chemistry set; on the back wall were shelves lined with varying sizes of corked bottles holding herbs, flowers, roots, and body parts to certain unknown animals; there were desks chaotically spaced around the room; in short, this room was one of the most cramped and disaster-affected places that Li had ever been.

"What is this place?" Li asked.

Eriol lead them to a desk towards the back as he talked. "This is Clow Reed's personal research room. No one else knew about it except for him and, even if someone else managed to find it, he was the only one that could enter here," he said, searching through the desk. "It's a very complicated spell."

"And you can get in here because you're his reincarnation."

"Exactly," he said, and then pulled his hand out of a drawer and showed them a large purple sack that was about the size of a softball. "This is called an Auralis Locater. It can locate any magical person in the world simply based on their aura," he said, opening the sack and producing a black metallic ball that, oddly enough, didn't reflect any of its surroundings.

"I don't like the looks of that," Madison said, stepping back from it as if it were dark magic or a poison.

"It's perfectly harmless. Watch." Eriol tossed the object in the air, muttered a phrase under his breath and the ball stopped falling and suddenly lay suspended in mid-air. He said a few more quiet words and the ball reflected above them a three dimensional map of the world. The picture wasn't solid (it was more like a hologram than anything else Li had seen), but it looked completely geographically accurate. Eriol turned back to them, eager to continue. "I've been using the Auralis to track Sakura; to make sure that she's okay and that the color of her aura doesn't change too dramatically."

"So, what you're trying to say is, you have had no idea that she has been completely safe since she's been gone?" Li said, anger rising in his voice as he stepped closer to Eriol.

"No, it's not that," Eriol said sternly. _They act as if I don't even care about her_, he thought to himself, but decided not to force an argument if it wasn't necessary. "It's always better to be safe than sorry, is all."

"Right. Whatever," Li said quietly, turning his attention back to the map in front of him.

"Anyways," Eriol continued, pointing towards a specific location on the map and, as if it was alive and capable of mind-reading, the map zoomed in to where he pointed to. "The last time I received an aura reading was here in Sofia, Bulgaria. But as of this morning, her aura has officially gone off the map."

"What do you mean, 'gone off the map?'" Madison asked.

"For the past two weeks she has been steadily progressing through Iraq and Turkey and then suddenly this morning, when she reached Sofia, her aura disappeared."

All the color had drained from Li's face as he heard this and he began to shake his head, not ready to understand what this could possibly mean. "Is she…have you brought us here…to tell us that she's dead?"

"Oh God, no," Eriol said. "She's alive, I just can't find her. And trust me, I've looked. All I've been doing is standing in this room all day trying to find her by any magical means possible."

"Well, what do you think it means?" Madison asked, putting an arm around Li who was still trying to convince himself that Sakura wasn't dead.

"I think Sakura knew that I was tracking her and so she cut off all magical communication," Eriol said. "In short, not only does she not want us knowing where she is, she's become powerful enough to run about the world undetected."

"But she's not simply running about the world, as you put it, isn't she Eriol?" Li asked. "She's been training these few months."

"Yes, and I'm afraid she's been quite aggressive about it, too. Not only has she visited any place where magical persons exist or places where Clow Reed had strong magical connections, the color of her aura has darkened considerably since we last saw her in Reedington."

Li and Madison stood for a moment, taking all this new information in, before Li spoke. "But this doesn't change the fact that we can't go and find her."

"No," Eriol said. "But it does change the fact that she's been gone far longer than I anticipated and now we don't know where she is, how she's doing, or if she's in any trouble."  
"That's true," Madison said. "We might not be the only people she's trying to avoid magical detection from."

"Yes, the thought had crossed my mind."

There was a long moment of silence while Eriol packed away the Auralis Locater, which gave Madison and Li some time to think.

"So, now what?" Li asked, turning towards Eriol.

"Now we can take some action. I think I have an idea of a few people she may have tried to contact. If we can persuade them to help us, we can try to track down her last steps."

"Which might include where she's planning on going," Li said.

"Exactly."

"But, Eriol," Madison said. "You were the one that said that this quest of hers is something she has to do. And if that's true, then why are we going to track her down? You said she was fine."

"She is fine."

"Then I still don't understand why we're going to try to locate her. She obviously doesn't want us to find her and if she's doing important work I say let her have at it," Madison said, crossing her arms. "You can't have both, Eriol."

"Both of what?"

"You can't be Clow Reed's incarnation and telling us not to find her; that everything will be alright and then, at the same time, be the concerned friend who wants to find her."

"Why can't I?"

"Because it's contradictory."

"And humans can't be walking contradictions? Tell me how you can be both happy and sad, right and wrong? It's the human condition."

"Look," Li said, interrupting. "This is not the time to talk philosophy. We have to talk to her. If we all know she's alright, and if we try to talk her out of this insane quest she's on, and if she still wants to go on with it, then what else are we to do but let her?" He was met with quiet after this question. "You know Sakura; she's going to do whatever she wants anyways. All I'm asking to do is to speak to her."

"Well, easier said then done," Eriol said.

"You said it was as easy as contacting some of Clow Reed's old buddies."

"Well, it's not _that _simple," Eriol said, sitting down at the desk. "They might not want to talk to us."

"And why is that?" Madison asked. "Why would they talk to Sakura and not to us? You're Clow Reed's reincarnation…right?"

"Yes, yes," Eriol said quickly. "But, uh…how do I put this?" he said, more to himself, and stood up and began walking slowly in a little circle. "Well, they're not exactly _alive_," he said, and then quickly added: "In the traditional sense, anyways."

"Wait…what?" Li said, more confused than ever. "How can someone not be alive_ in the traditional sense_, Eriol? What does that even mean?"

"Well, they're neither alive nor dead, although I guess they are technically dead. At least most of them; I don't think Jing Mao ever really died in the first place but…"

"Get to the point," Madison said, trying to get Eriol back on track.

"Some of them have technically died and then have been reincarnated; much like I have been. Others have found a way to achieve immortality while others still are in between the two world, hovering between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The latter is most dangerous and only the more experienced or thrill-seeking sorcerers use this for a matter of…survival, so to speak."

"So you think she was searching these people out to train? Why not come to you directly?" Madison asked.

"Again, something I'm not sure of."

"So now what?" Li asked, getting impatient. _I feel like I'm running around in circles_.

"Right," he said. He took out a piece of parchment and a quill, dipped it an ink, and began to write down a list of names. He handed them to Li. "This is a list of all the possible people I can think of and where they might be; although I haven't talked to them in over forty years, so they really could be anywhere," he said, watching Li as he scanned through the list.

"Pan Twardowski, Munich, Germany; Morgan Gwydion, London, England; Padraig O'Gadra…oh great, this one doesn't even have a place it just says 'somewhere in Ireland;' Jing Mao, Hong Kong, China; Ishak Pasha, Bursa, Turkey; Magdalena Ignacia de Borbon, Valencia, Spain; and Lyra Black, Boston, The States," he said, reading off the list. "How am I supposed to find any of these people?" Li said, completely exasperated. "These people are, literally, around the world. How am I supposed to find them?—because I highly doubt they have a little side-street booth set up to read peoples' palms for five dollars," he said and sat down on a desk. "I just feel so lost in all of this."

"Don't worry," Madison said, approaching him. "I'll come with you."

"No, you can't," Eriol said, before he could stop himself.

"And why not? What's stopping me?"

"Madison, I'm sorry, but Eriol's right," Li said, stepping in. "You can't defend yourself nor fight on the offensive, so I would be spending half of my time protecting or worrying about you," he said, quite factually. "I'm sorry, but I have to go after her alone. I owe that to her at the very least."

"Well," Madison said, taking out something from her back pocket. "Then at least let me help you."

"Madison, I can't take your charity. Besides, I have enough money of my own to buy anything I need. Trust me, financial problems is something I'm not worried about."

"No, it's not money, I'm giving you," Madison said, hanging him a slip of paper he didn't recognize. "Go to this address and get a sword."

"But I already have swords; lots of swords," he said, trying to hand back the piece of paper.

"No, keep it," Madison said, smiling. "Trust me; he's a swordsmith unlike any other."

They all sat in silence, contemplating what Li was about to do.

"If you need anything on your journeys, please contact me," Eriol said, grabbing a large bag from the corner and beginning to fill it with various papers and bottles of liquids. "I'm going to put a list of Clow Reed's old houses in here; let's just hope that they haven't been unlawfully sold to other owners. Sakura might have also taken refuge at any of these houses, so I would search them anyways," he said, handing the rucksack to Li. "I'm going to give you no more than a month; if you haven't found her by then, you'll never find her at all. Try to make your last destination Valencia; I have a house there and Madison and I can meet you in a month's time," he said, and then offered his hand to Li, who took it and shook it.

"Thank you, Eriol. You've been very helpful," Li said, turning to leave.

"And remember, Li," Eriol said, stopping him. "Sakura doesn't want to be found and, I'm guessing, you're the last person she wants to be found by, so use any means necessary to remain invisible."

"Don't worry," Li said, slinging the pack over his shoulder and stopping at the hole in the wall. "For the next month, I won't even exist."

And he exited at a run, planning all the things he would need before he took off in four days time. Madison and Eriol just stood behind him, listening to his quick foot steps fade into the distance, while Madison unconsciously reached out for Eriol's hand, not at all comfortable with the fact that two of her friends had both ran away into the night, looking for a most dangerous kind of adventure.

One month later, Li sat at the long dining room table covered in a light layer of dust and debris. He stared down at a list of names in front of him; names that he had long since memorized but still had found a need to look at the crumpled piece of parchment that had dirt and blood stains alike. Li ran a bandaged hand down the list, thinking about what had happened this past month and how wretched he felt that he had still not found Sakura, yet he heard her name whispered upon the wind, or found pieces of her everywhere. One such piece, a thick silver ring, inlaid with red and pink cherry blossoms, was on a chain around his neck, and he refused to take it off for even such mundane activities such as showering, even though showers came few and far between.

His journey had began in China, naturally, as he had stopped to see his mother, sisters, and, most importantly of all, his cousin, Meilin Rae. He had enlisted her help to find the elusive Jing Mao, which he had found in a dive opium bar in the backstreets of Hong Kong, but when Li had inquired about Sakura, the old man, smoking his hookah on an oversized purple pillow, laughed crazily and had disappeared with a puff of smoke. He had continued to Turkey, Germany, England, and Ireland all with similar results, although the monstrous Padraig O'Gadra of Limerick, Ireland had left the most aggressive but helpful remark.

It had been a proverbial dark and stormy night, and Li, already fatigued and frustrated from his failures, had found an Irish castle that was, reportedly, home to Padraig O'Gadra. The reports, he had quickly found, were true, and not only was Padraig O'Gadra an excellent sorcerer, but an esteemed swordsman. Li had walked away with quite a few fleshwounds, including a rather deep gash to the arm that he had sewn together himself, but today, sitting in a small town just north of Valencia, Spain, he had realized that his arm was becoming worse by the day, no matter how many of Eriol's liquids he had poured into it. He had even taken bloodmoss and other herbs and simply stuffed them into his wound, which had helped significantly, but his stores were out and he felt that he couldn't last another few days without his arm getting infected to the point of uselessness.

Tonight, Li sat at the table of a house that Eriol had pointed out was Clow Reed's, pondering his next move, but he was preoccupied by the list of crossed out names, all too aware that only one name remained uncrossed: Magdalena Ignacia de Borbon of Valencia, Spain. _You are my only hope_, Li thought, staring at the name for a few more seconds before folding up the tattered piece of parchment and stuffing it into his rucksack. He pondered for a long time of what he should do, but his mind was too weary and his bones ached even from sitting in the padded chair at the head of the dining table. He glanced at his watch and noted that it had not yet reached nine, and he also knew that Valencia was a daunting five hour walk yet, he figured, he could probably hire a horse and carriage from one of the local townsman to bring him to the town border where he could hail a taxi into the city.

Picking up his things, he stumbled to the door but, as soon as he turned the door knob, he stood upright and flung on his black traveling cloak, aware that a local farmer would not want to drag a sick man to town.

"Gracias, senor. Buenos noches," Li said, stepping out from the cab and stuffing his cloak into his sack. It was still early for a Saturday night, only midnight, which meant that Li had only a few more hours until he was unable to find any information; there was no point in wasting the night.

"Excusarme," he asked the nearest young person he could find. " De donde es la barra mas cercana? Uno sin turistas?"

The young girl nodded and pointed down a street off the main road they were on; Li nodded and thanked her, walking quickly towards the bar she had described. He saw the wooden sign with the name "Finnegans" singed into the oak and he stepped down a short flight of stairs and into the underground bar.

It was surprisingly empty for a Saturday night, at least empty in comparison with all the other nightclubs and tourist-mobbed bars that lined the main roads. There was no line outside in the street; there wasn't a dance floor, yet everyone in the bar didn't seem to be in the mood for dancing; anyone that was laughing was far too drunk for their own good; Johnny Cash played in the background; and it was quite obvious to Li that every person in this bar was a local, and not only locals, but streetfolk.

Li walked up to the bar, completely aware that more than a few people were staring at him, probably because he was obviously not from around Valencia, or any place close to it. He asked for a drink in the best Spanish he could muster and the bartender, a long-haired guy with a few too many gold rings, gave him a jack and coke without the jack and with some sort of whiskey that was a little too strong for Li's taste, but he pretended not to wince as he took the first swig and sat in the back of the bar. He observed the people in the bar nonchalantly, noticing the sociology of these people and if maybe any of them were connected to Magdalena Ignacia de Borbon. As if on cue, a dark-haired woman came to sit next to him, bearing two drinks.

"Para tu," she said, sliding him a drink, obviously another whiskey and coke.

"Gracias, senorita," he said under his breath, and then waited for her to make the next move.

They sat for some time and he was wondering whether she was testing his patience, and it took all of his effort not to jump up and demand to know where her mistress was. But he sat quietly, finishing his first drink and starting on another.

"Li Showran," she said in her heavy Spanish accent. "I have heard so much of you. So much so that my lady would like to see you very much."

"That can be arranged," Li said, and then remembering his manners, "If your lady wills it so, then it must be done." Li had spent so much time underground this past month that he had almost forgot what a high-statured person he was going to see.

The woman next to him smiled and he finally got a look at her for the first time. She had long black hair, dark chocolate eyes, and olive skin and he could finally understand why so many of his friends had signed up for the class trip to Spain in the Fall.

"She would like to meet with you tomorrow night and, until that time, she asks you to be her personal guest at the Eurostars Gran Valencia, to which she is the owner of," she said, giving him a small box wrapped in a white and silver print wrapping paper. Upon opening it, he noticed three things: a key (to what he assumed was the room to his hotel), a plastic card with the name Burberry on the front, and a pair of exquisite diamond earrings (which he could assume was nothing but the best). "The key is obviously for your hotel room; one of the luxury suites that she had furnished especially for your needs. I assume that your favorite color hasn't changed recently, so it should suit you quite nicely," she said as Li tried to not betray what would be unmistakably perceived as astonishment on his face. "What that card is worth is none of your concern, but I will let you know that you will never be able to maximize it out. When you see my lady, you will also make sure to thank her extensively for both things, seeing as how she has been more than overly generous for you, though I cannot understand why."

"That makes two of us," he said quietly, finishing his second drink.

"Would you like another?" she asked, but before he could answer, she finished her drink and walked up to the bar, ordering two more.

"Bad night?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

"No, just an end to an era," she said, taking a deep gulp from her drink. She continued without letting him ask more. "The earrings are a simple gift of friendship and trust, although you must promise me that you cannot tell her that I gave them to you."

"No, I can't accept these," he said, taking the card and key out of the box and handing the earrings back to her. "She'll know they came from you right away and then the trust will be gone. No, I'll pick out something myself."

"Are you sure you can handle that?" she asked, skepticism lining her eyes.

"Do I really have any other choice?" he said quietly.

She finished her drink quickly. "We will be in contact, I'm sure. She'll want to meet with you tomorrow night to discuss Sakura—"

That was all it took. His face winced and then he turned to her and grabbed ahold of her arm. "She's seen her?" he asked. The girl said nothing and kept her face as rigid as possible. "I'm sorry," he said, retracting his arm and going back to his drink. "That was very rude of me."

"I should say so," the girl said, gathering her things in her arms. "One would hope that you would not act such a way towards my lady." Li bowed his head in shame, hoping that he had just not blown the only lead he had this past month. Then, slowly, he felt something on his hand and looked down to see the girl's hand squeezing his. "Although, after meeting Sakura, I must say, I do not blame you for feeling in such a way."

And with that, she was gone.

Li woke up in a very comfortable khaki-colored comforter, probably down, and turned over onto his back, his head aching. Slowly, he pieced together what had happened the night before. _There was a third drink, then a fourth, then a fifth, and then I walked, what seemed for miles, and I walked here and, thankfully it must have been early in the morning because I don't think I saw too many people_.

"God, I hope I didn't do anything stupid," he said aloud, angry at himself for doing something so stupid. He sat up and looked around: to his left was a bathroom with two sinks and two circular mirrors above them; in front of him looked to be a large sitting room with a modern looking brown couch, mounted flat screen t.v., and a mahogany table with a bundle of white lilies atop it; and next to that, he could see a hint of a kitchenette and island table with bar stools. Forcing himself out of bed, he took a quick shower and then stumbled to the kitchen, hungover and still extremely tired, hoping that there was some sort of food or drink in the fridge. He opened the double-doored steel machine and frowned; it was empty.

Thinking that he might just go back to bed, as he was still in his boxer shorts with nothing else to wear, he started walking to his new bed, but a knock on the door interrupted his movement. Not wanting to answer the door in his boxers, he quickly ran into the bathroom and found a plush white bathrobe with the insignia of the hotel on the upper left hand corner.

"Coming!" he yelled from the bedroom and walked to the door, not even bothering to look in the peephole before opening the door. There stood the woman he had met from the night before, clothed in black dress pants, black high heels, a white button-down blouse, and a tight black vest.

"So, last night you were a woman drowning her sorrows and today you are the woman in black?" Li asked, and then remembered his manners. "I'm sorry, again," he said, as she crossed her arms. "Look, I've been in a perpetual underground of society for the past month and I've dealt with people who never had an iota of politeness inside of them, so once again, I apologize for my Neanderthal-like behavior," he said, and when she didn't do anything, he gave a slight bow. "Your majesty."

Weirdly enough, the woman laughed. "You might want to save that for my lady; she is quite obsessed with the ancient world, and addressing her as 'your majesty' might please her."

"Are you serious?"

"Quite."

There was a moment of silence before the woman handed him a folded t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of black boots. "Until you can go to Burberry, I figured you might be wanting some clothes; on an apparent lack of having any clean ones," she said, looking at him. "And you might want to take a siesta at some point during the day; my lady would like to meet you at 1:30am."

"Why so late?"

"Let's just say that my lady is not exactly a day person, as you might call it," she said smiling. "Take the elevator to the top floor; I will meet you there then. And don't be late. My lady does not like tardiness."

"Sure, of course," Li replied. But before she left, he asked, "Again, I must apologize for my manners, but I have never asked for your name."

"Mary," she said quickly, and walked away.

Li stood in front of a large white wooden door that had a semicircle for the top of it. He didn't know whether to knock; it was only 1:20am, and he had ten more minutes until he was supposed to meet with Magdalena Ignacia de Borbon. His nerves were getting the better of him as he paced in the hall, hoping the door would open at any moment. But it didn't…so he sat on a wooden bench to the side of the door, just waiting. Before long, he heard a swishing sound from around the corner and he saw Mary, dressed in a white long dress with flowing sleeves, walking towards him.

As if she didn't even see him, she walked up to the door and then right through it. Li blinked his eyes a few times and then wondered if he ought to follow her, but decided that not only could he not replicate that cool trick of hers but that he should wait until someone came for him. Doing the wrong thing with Ms. Borbon could mean the difference between finding Sakura and never seeing her again. So he sat there, for nearly another hour, his palms sweating profusely, until Mary floated through the doors again.

"Magdalena Ignacia de Borbon will see you now," she said, and then, to his relief, she grasped the large and black metal rings to the white doors and pulled them open. As Li looked to the spectacle before him, he tried not to drop his chin in astonishment.

It was as if he had been transported back in time. In front of him was not the woman he had imagined, but a queen whose image and wealth rested between the worlds of ancient Spain and, oddly enough, India. There were large red and gold pillows, some sat two or even three people, lining a red carpet that led down the center of the rectangular room. Some people sat in these pillows, while others stood, but Li couldn't have tried to count how many people were there as he stood still in awe of the strange mix of Spanish and Indian décor that lined the hall from top to bottom. Unaware of how to move on properly, he looked to Mary for guidance, but found none. With nothing else to do, he followed her down the long red carpet, trying to look as professional and regal as he could in his classic black Burberry suit with matching tie.

As Mary approached the end of the red carpet, he noticed that, forty feet from the carpet's end, there were two large men dressed in white Indian traditional robes holding two large fans in front of what, most obviously, was Ms. Borbon. At the end of the carpet, Mary stopped. "Rules dictate that we cannot get any closer to the Empress."

"Empress?" Li whispered.

She ignored his question and continued, rather quickly, "Don't speak unless spoken to, bow when she is revealed to you, and don't, under any circumstance, directly look her in the eyes."

"What is she, Medusa? Am I going to turn to stone?" Li asked, before he could help himself.

"Talking like that won't get you answers," Mary whispered angrily.

"That is enough," came a voice, and Li looked up to see the giant fans being swept away and, in its place, was a woman sitting on a golden throne. She wore a traditional gold Sari, but upon her head was a matching gold crown that was unmistakably of Spanish origin. Behind her was a picture of a Hindu God holding hands with a portrait of a Spanish Queen; a visual homage to the symbolism surrounding Li.

The Empress Borbon stepped forward and approached Mary and Li, who was shaking on the inside. _I already screwed this up; why couldn't I keep my mouth shut?!_ he thought, scolding himself.

"Li Showran," the Empress Borbon said, approaching him. He kept his head bowed, but he couldn't help but to feel her aura; one of the largest he had ever encountered. "Come with me," she said, and to his surprise, many of the guests began whispering. He even felt Mary stiffen in response. The crowd around them began to quiet as the Empress reached out her hand and Li, uncertainly, took it in response and let himself be lead out of the hallway by two large Spanish men carrying swords.

_This is all a dream_, he thought, letting himself be brought by The Empress and her two guards down a long hallway.

"No, Li," the Empress said; her voice thick and smooth with a deep Spanish accent. "This is all quite real, I can assure you."

Unsure of how to respond, he stated the obvious: "You read minds."

"It's amazing what hundreds of years of education will bring you," she said, as they were brought through two wide doors, a short flight of stairs, and onto the roof of the hotel. "You may leave now," she said to the two guards that had brought them there, and they left unquestioningly.

Now, alone with the Empress, Li had so many questions, but didn't know how to voice them.

"It's alright," the Empress said, walking towards the side of the building. She rested her hands on the high stone ledge and let her hands curl around the grittiness. "You may speak freely with me," she said and turned around to face him. "Although I am almost seven hundred years old, I stopped aging at twenty-four and I've been trying to act more and more how I look than how old I actually am…as of late anyways," she added quickly.

"I don't know where to begin," Li said. _Okay, calm yourself_, he told himself. _You're not going to get any answers about Sakura if you keep blabbering like an idiot_. "Okay," he said and took a few simple breaths, regaining his composure. "I need to find Sakura and I have reason to believe that she came for you."

"And you are correct."

"Can you tell me where she is now?"

"No," she replied. "But I have my guesses." The Empress walked towards Li, coming within a foot of him. "Clow Reed was a fool."

"There were many things he was, a fool was not one of them."

"Sooner or later you will come to realize that the oldest, wisest, and the most powerful of us sorcerers are also the most stubborn, immature, and, of course, foolhardy. Clow Reed, like myself, is not exempt from these characteristics, and nor is Sakura. But Sakura did something that Clow Reed, myself, and all the other people on that list of yours could not do: pull herself closer to the truth while the rest of us simply spent our lives running away from it."

"What do you mean?" Li asked, trying to take in what she had said. "How is she better off than Clow Reed himself?"

"Towards the end of his life, Clow Reed had met a woman; decided to settle down somewhere in the English countryside and live a relatively normal life. Unfortunately, his enemies had other plans."

"If Clow Reed wasn't practicing magic, then they couldn't suck off all his secrets. They didn't want him to be normal, did they?"

"They couldn't function without his magic—the very magic they wanted to steal. They needed him on their side and, like most evil people, they had delusions of grandeur. They failed of course, as you well know; Sakura and Eriol are living proof of that. But ever since Clow Reed, every moral and ethical magician since him ran from who they were, trying to gain what he had, even for a few moments."

"A normal life," Li said. _Whatever that means._ "But why? They saw what happened to Clow Reed when he tried to obtain normalcy. Why would they follow in his footsteps."

"So, your reasoning is, if Clow Reed can't be normal, than no one else even has a chance?" Li nodded. "Well, as you already know, humans aren't rational people. Especially when they're in love." Li looked at her, unable to separate the image of Sakura from his head. "So they all tried to succeed where he had failed, but they could not separate themselves from their own destiny, although they tried…so hard. And I was one of them." She raised her hand and, with one fluid movement, two glasses of wine appeared. She offered one to Li who took it gratefully.

"I think our conversation deserves some," he said and took a sip.

"My thoughts exactly," she said, taking a long, deep drink. Magically, the glass refilled itself. "I met him six hundred and eighty years ago. In India. I'm sure that explains a lot about the hotel décor," she said, and took another deep drink before she magicked her glass away. "I too wanted a peaceful life; live out my days running a hotel and remembering my dead Chandra by immersing myself in his world, instead of fighting the good fight with those like you and Sakura. My destiny is to not sit and be comfortable and idle in Valencia, Spain, but to protect those who can't help themselves and stop those who help themselves a little too much. I haven't been a good person," she said, a few tears spilling from her eyelids.

"Empress, are you—"

"No, please," she said, not even bothering to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Please, call me Magda. It's what _she _called me."

"Sakura," he whispered.

"Yes," she said, taking his hands in hers. "She's alive and she's doing things that I never had the strength to do. She's not fighting it anymore, Li. She's taken hold of her destiny and she's running with it," she continued. "She's becoming more powerful by the day. With every sorcerer and sorceress she meets, her energy increases ten fold."

"Why?" Li asked, tightening his grip on her hands. "Why is she doing this? Because I've been running this through my head since the day she left and it can't just be because she wants to stand on her own." The Empress dropped to the ground suddenly and Li sunk down with her, still holding her hands. "What is it? What's happening?"

"Just listen," she said, breathing erratically. "There's not much time."

"No, you're going to be fine," he said, and then realized that, where he was holding her hand, blood was flowing freely. "You're going to be just fine," he repeated, unsure of what to do.

"The least you can do is to not lie to me," she said, and then gasped as blood began pouring out of her abdomen, staining her gold sari. "Megumi," she whispered. "She has answers. You _must_ find her."

"Megumi," he said, the rage breaking every syllable he uttered of her name. "Is nothing but a liar and a coward; she is pure evil incarnate. She has this tattoo."

"Oh," The Empress said, grabbing her right side. "You mean, this tattoo." She raised her sari to reveal black ink in the shape of a coiled snake around a ring of red words that was in a language Li could not understand.

"What are you playing at?" Li asked, uncertainty lining his eyes. "Has a word out of your mouth been the truth?"

"It has, "she said, blood beginning to pour from her mouth. "It has all been true. Unfortunately, it has become too late for me to help," she said coughing. "Find Megumi. She is on _your_ side."

"How can I trust you?" Li asked.

"Because Sakura did," she said and coughed again. "You must find Megumi She will help you."

"I need to find Sakura."

"Find…Me…Me…gumi," she said and then relaxed in his grip. Li tried to shake her awake, but he knew it was all in vain.

"I knew it would happen eventually."

Li turned around and saw Mary behind him. He didn't know what to do with The Empress, but as soon as he laid her on the concrete ground, white pillows appeared and surrounded her body.

"How long has she known?" Li asked, walking over to Mary.

"For hundreds of years, I suspect," she said and sat on a stone bench, beckoning him to do the same. "Li, I know this must all seem so strange to you, and it is getting late and I know it is also imperative of you to find Sakura, but also Megumi. But before you can do any of that, I am instructed, by The Empress, to inform you of the dangers ahead."

"Yes, of course," Li said, not knowing what else to say. _She is right. This is all so strange._

"The Empress has told me that, when she first discovered her abilities, she found it necessary to create an alliance of sorcerers and sorceresses to combat all the evils in the world. Because, for every good person in the world there is a bad counterpart. The world of wizardry is no exception, as I'm sure you are aware." Mary took a moment to look over at the body of The Empress before continuing. "This alliance began underground but, when evil began to arise throughout the plains of Europe and Japan, they surfaced and began to battle everything that threatened to destroy all the positive things that humanity had worked towards. All of the people on Sakura's list are the remaining members of the alliance and all of these people have the tattoo that you saw today."

"So, Megumi is part of that alliance."

"Yes," Mary confirmed. "The tattoo was a way for members of the alliance to recognize each other in a quiet fashion. Sakura didn't know about the entire significance of the tattoo until she came here, but it was only after Sakura left the hotel that The Empress became active in the alliance again."

"You mean…all those people on the list. They are still _active_?" Mary nodded. "Then, after all these years, why haven't Sakura nor I heard about them? Come to think about it, if there was this alliance out there of good magicians, then they haven't they helped us before?"

"They were ordered not to."  
"By who?" Li asked incredulously.  
"Clow Reed, one of the founders of the alliance," Mary replied.

"But why?"

"Because Sakura must be part of the hero's journey. If everyone always came to her rescue, how could she ever learn to use her powers? How could she ever learn to be herself? The same goes for you as well. You are who you are because of what you have been through," she said with conviction. Mary stood up and walked over to the body of The Empress and knelt beside it. "Now you must find Megumi."

"I don't even know where to find her. She left sometime during the end of the school year."

"Well, there are a few places you might try. Tokyo was one of her favorite places, although, a few hundred years ago, she did enjoy the old architecture of Turkey…"

"So, in other words, you have no idea where Megumi is."

"No. Not so much."

"Right," Li said, and pulled out a cell phone. He pulled off a piece of tape from the back of it and then pulled a piece of paper from out of his left jacket pocket.

"What are you planning on doing?" Mary asked, walking over towards him.

"If anyone knows where Megumi would be, it's Eriol," he said, looking at the piece of paper and dialing the number on it.

Mary looked at him, a solemn look on her face. _If only The Empress had warned him of the truths that lie ahead, then maybe he would understand_, she thought as she watched Li talk into the phone. _All the answers are so close to him, yet he traversed the lands of Europe to find the answers here…in Valencia, Spain. How far away he is._ Mary turned away from Li, looking up towards the sky. _Sakura, if you can hear me, please don't let Li suffer anymore. This could be solved so quickly._

Mary didn't expect a response, so when one came, she was caught completely off guard.

_His suffering will end when mine does_, an unmistakable voice said, as if Sakura was speaking into the wind and letting the message fly to Mary. _They say that time heals all wounds…so I shall see him in two years time._ And with that said, the voice was gone and Mary fell to the ground in tears.

Author's Note: I know this was a long chapter, but I thank you all for staying with me after all these years…if there is an "all" to address. I don't care how many people are NOT reading my story, I shall finish it anyways, because it is almost seven years in the making.

For all of my readers who have stayed with me throughout, _you_ are the reason I go on.

Crystal Cat-chan: Thank you for your reviews and your support to continue on when I think no one else is reading. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.

To everyone else: Thank you for your reads as well.

don't take this away I could finish you


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